Giants lead Royals 3-2 in Game 7

Oct 30, 2014 - 2:37 AM Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Morse hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 lead over the Kansas City Royals in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night.

So far, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner has pitched the fifth and sixth innings out of the bullpen on two days' rest after throwing a four-hit shutout in Game 5 on Sunday for his second win in the series.

The Giants are chasing a third title in five seasons and are trying to snap a nine-game losing streak by road teams in World Series Game 7s.

The Royals, seeking their first title since 1985, tied the series at three games apiece with a 10-0 win on Tuesday that was keyed by a seven-run second inning -- their biggest rally ever in the World Series.

The early action Wednesday night also came in the second inning.

A two-run Giants rally in the second started with Jeremy Guthrie grazing Pablo Sandoval on the elbow with a pitch. Sandoval landed at third base after singles by Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt and scored on Morse's sacrifice line drive to deep right field. Brandon Crawford followed with a sac fly to drive in Pence, making it 2-0.

Billy Butler hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning and lumbered around to score on Alex Gordon's double to the right-center field gap, just beating the throw with a slide. Tim Hudson hit Royals catcher Salvador Perez above the left knee with his next pitch and consecutive sac flies allowed Gordon to score, tying the game at 2-2.

Hudson, 39, was pulled after giving up a single to Alcides Escobar through the left side. The oldest pitcher ever to start Game 7 of the World Series got just one more out than the Giants' Game 6 starter, Jake Peavy, who went 1 1/3 innings on Tuesday and was yanked during Kansas City's seven-run rally.

Lorenzo Cain hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the third but was erased on what turned out to be a double play after the Giants challenged the call that Eric Hosmer was safe at first base. Hosmer, who dove head-first into the bag after his grounder, was ruled out after the review.

Guthrie gave up consecutive singles to Sandoval and Pence to start the fourth inning (Sandoval reached after second baseman Omar Infante barehanded the ball but slipped throwing to first) and both runners moved up on Belt's sac fly.

Kelvin Herrera, one of Kansas City's bullpen stars, came in and surrendered Morse's go-ahead single.

Bumgarner, who also beat the Royals in Game 1, gave up a leadoff single to Infante in the fifth, then stranded him at second base. He was perfect in the sixth and has thrown 267 combined innings so far this year.