Royals say they won’t be slowed by Orioles’ tactics

One of the fleet Royals reaches first, and Orioles first baseman Steve Pearce holds him on.

Except Pearce isn’t in the usual spot with his feet in front of or straddling the base. He is standing directly next to Jarrod Dyson or Terrance Gore or Alcides Escobar, essentially taking the lead with the speedsters.

What’s going on?

Orioles manager Buck Showalter wasn’t sharing.

“Trying to get a little more range out there,” Showalter said. “That’s not being completely true. There’s not much advantage.

“It’s pretty obvious that the percentages are high in their favor. There are some things you do a little differently when teams have a real strength. But it really doesn’t take that away.”

Specifically, the Royals, who led baseball in stolen bases this year and tied a postseason record with seven steals in the AL Wild Card Game victory over the A’s, say the strategy is intended to make their runners hesitate.

The idea is if Pearce is standing next to a base runner and darts to the bag to ostensibly take a throw from the pitcher, the move will make the Royals runner flinch before taking the first step in a steal attempt.

The fastest Royals say it doesn’t matter. Pearce isn’t the key, or what their eyes are trained on to trigger their start.

“It’s the pitcher,” Dyson said. “(Pearce) can move in any direction, I’m not looking at him. I’m going off the pitcher.”

The Orioles, down 2-0 in the series, haven’t stopped the Royals, but the numbers say they’ve slowed the running game. The Royals have one stolen base, by Lorenzo Cain in the second game.

They’ve been caught stealing twice, and Alex Gordon was picked off first base in the first game. Dyson was caught both times, although he beat the throw on the first attempt, slid off the bag and was tagged out in the first game.

In the second game, when Dyson entered as a pinch runner in the seventh inning, he measured hard-throwing left-handed reliever Andrew Miller, and took off.

Miller took a slide step, shortening the motion on his pitch from the stretch. His fastball was high, catcher Caleb Joseph came out of his crouch and gunned down Dyson with a perfect throw.

The play was close, but Dyson smiled as he jogged off the field.

“They got me,” he said. “Everything happened perfect for them, and it was still close. I’m pretty comfortable with it. They were already talking smack at me from the dugout.”

Royals manager Ned Yost credits Baltimore pitchers more than the alignment.

“It all revolves around the pitcher being quick to home plate,” Yost said. “If he’s quick to home, you’re going to have a hard time stealing a base. … It doesn’t mean we’re not going to take our chances or opportunities to steal bases.”

Speed is part of the Royals’ formula, on the bath paths and in the field. Outfielders chase down balls others can’t reach, runners take the extra base.

But power has been the Royals’ theme in the ALCS. Against an Orioles team that led the majors in home runs, the Royals lead in that department 4-1. They’ve hit eight in six playoff games, with Mike Moustakas crushing four of them.

The Orioles, who finished last in stolen bases, top the Royals 2-1 in that department.

With the series shifted to the larger Kauffman Stadium, it’s reasonable to believe home runs will be reduced. But the Royals don’t plan on slowing on the bath paths.

“We’re still running,” Dyson said. “We’re not changing our focus.”

This story was originally published October 12, 2014 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Royals say they won’t be slowed by Orioles’ tactics."