Brandon Crawford helps Giants scratch out key runs
SAN FRANCISCO – If Brandon Crawford's not careful, he may soon become better known for his bat than his glove.
The slick-fielding shortstop has already entered the books this postseason for one of his hitting exploits. On Sunday, his offensive contributions helped the San Francisco Giants move one victory away from their third World Series crown in five years.
Batting in his usual eighth spot, Crawford drove in three runs as the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-0 to take a 3-2 lead in the World Series.
The .242 career hitter didn't exactly spray line drives all over AT&T Park, but on a night that featured a duel between Madison Bumgarner and James Shields until a Giants uprising in the eighth, scratching runs any way possible was a priority.
The Giants managed that with the help of Crawford, who has been a model of offensive consistency if not excellence in his three full seasons. Crawford, 27, has batted .248, .248 and .246 in that spell.
San Francisco scored the game's first run in the second inning when Crawford drove in Hunter Pence from third on a weak grounder to second. It was the kind of productive out that would be necessary to beat Shields, who pitched closer to his regular-season standards than his frequent postseason stumbles.
The run was facilitated by the failure of Crawford's opposite number, Gold Glove finalist Alcides Escobar, to pick up Pence's hard-hit grounder leading off the inning. It was ruled a hit.
Escobar's inability to convert a tough but makeable play was also a factor in the fourth inning, when Crawford drove in the game's second run. With two outs and Pablo Sandoval at first, Travis Ishikawa ripped a sharp grounder that skipped under Escobar's glove and into left field for a single.
Crawford then dropped a single in front of center fielder Jarrod Dyson, who bobbled the ball to allow Sandoval to scoot home with the run that made it 2-0 Giants. Crawford also capped a three-run eighth with an RBI single off Wade Davis.
That was more than enough support for Bumgarner, who continued his remarkable stretch of pitching mastery with his second shutout of the postseason.
Driving in runs despite hitting in front of the pitcher has been one of Crawford's strengths this season, when his career-high 69 RBI ranked fifth among all major league shortstops.
The lefty-swinging Crawford displayed that knack in the wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he broke open a scoreless game by cracking a fourth-inning grand slam off Edinson Volquez. It was the first time ever a shortstop hit a grand slam in the postseason, and it set the Giants on course for an 8-0 victory behind Bumgarner's brilliant pitching.
Crawford was the Giants' starting shortstop when they made their second World Series run of the decade in 2012, and he opened eyes with his range and sparkling defense. That aspect of his game tailed off a bit this year, when Crawford's 21 errors, a career high, were the second highest total in the majors.
Nonetheless, his emergence is part of the reason the Giants converted Joe Panik, drafted as a shortstop in 2011, into a second baseman. They figure to give the club a solid double-play combination for years to come.
Despite his middling batting average, Crawford has always considered himself more than just a fielder. This last season he had personal bests in home runs (10), RBI and walks (59). In addition, Crawford improved significantly against lefties, lifting his average from his career .214 mark to .320. That was the highest average against lefties among the Giants and the seventh-best in the NL.
PHOTOS: Best of the 2014 World Series