KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The days might change and so might the ballparks, and on Friday the opponent will change as well, yet the Kansas City Royals refuse to change a thing.
The lineup the Royals used for every game in the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros will once again be their lineup at the start of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
When Royals manager Ned Yost presented his lineup Friday afternoon, it had shortstop Alcides Escobar, second baseman Ben Zobrist and center fielder Lorenzo Cain at the top. In the middle were first baseman Eric Hosmer, designated hitter Kendrys Morales and third baseman Mike Moustakas. At the bottom were catcher Salvador Perez, left fielder Alex Gordon and right fielder Alex Rios.
Only the pitchers have changed, but even then, Yost has only used three different starters through six postseason games. Yost won’t add a fourth starter until Game 4 on Wednesday, although he still isn’t saying who it will be.
Yost certainly isn’t into tinkering. Not only does his lineup typically remain steady, his relievers typically pitch a full inning, especially his late-inning guys like Ryan Madson, Kelvin Herrera and closer Wade Davis.
What allows Yost to stick with his tried-and-true order is the fact that it is so balanced. Among his regulars, Yost has four right-handed hitters, three left-handed hitters and two switch hitters. He complimented general manager Dayton Moore for putting together a well-balanced roster.
“We've got a lot of confidence in our lineup,” Yost said. “You can start a rally from anywhere in that lineup, one through nine, and sustain a rally anywhere one through nine. We like the way our lineup is constructed right now, and we think we can score runs with it.”
That lineup balance has allowed the Royals to focus on a bench with speed that they can use in the late innings. Terrance Gore has seen action in one postseason game so far, while Jarrod Dyson has been in two.
Paulo Orlando, another speed guy, has been used as a defensive replacement in three games, making an impressive catch at the right field fence for the final out of the division series.
The regular days off built into the playoff schedule have also helped the Royals’ regulars stay fresh. But Yost was actually glad there was only a short turnaround from the division series finale to the championship series opener.
“The one day is great and gives your bullpen an extra day, gives all the position players an extra day to kind of come in and move around a little bit with a light workout,” Yost said. “But three or four days of that (between series) you start to get antsy, so I'm glad we're going today.”