Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas drive home Royals' vision

ANAHEIM — This is how it was supposed to happen for the Kansas City Royals all along: Take a couple of studs high in the draft, watch them develop alongside some key additions and then enjoy as they guide the club through the playoffs.

If only it had been that easy.

The long-term plan put in place by general manager Dayton Moore when he arrived midway through the 2006 season is playing out nearly to perfection in the American League Division Series, which the Royals lead 2-0 after Eric Hosmer's two-run homer in the 11th inning powered them to a 4-1 win Friday against the Los Angeles Angels.

For the second night in a row, an 11th-inning blast sent Kansas City to victory, after Mike Moustakas' solo shot provided the winning margin in the series opener.

"That's what the cool part of this run has been,'' Hosmer said after a third playoff win in a row for a franchise 29 years removed from its last postseason berth. "Everyone's had their time, their moment when they've made a big play or stepped up and did something big. … Most of the time it was with our season on the line.''

Moustakas, the second overall choice in the 2007 draft, and Hosmer, the third overall selection in 2008, were Moore's first two No. 1 picks, foundation players around whom to build.

But theirs was hardly a direct path to success, which may be part of the reason they're handling the biggest professional moment of their lives — one win from leading the Royals to the AL Championship Series — with such aplomb.

Besides his home run, Hosmer had two other hits Friday, while Moustakas contributed a single and a big defensive play.

"We came up and had similar paths, and it just made us better,'' said Moustakas, who was so euphoric over Hosmer's home run, he couldn't stop yelling at him in the dugout. "Everything we went through in those minor leagues and even earlier in the season just made us better and got us ready for this situation.''

Moustakas appeared to have established himself offensively with a big second half in 2012. But his on-base-plus-slugging percentage has declined in each of the last two years, and he was sent down to the minors in May as he struggled to shake off a lingering slump. His .212 batting average ranked lowest among regular third basemen in the majors.

Hosmer finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year race in 2011, saw his numbers plummet as a sophomore and bounced back in 2013. He missed most of this August with a stress fracture in his right hand and hit a career-low nine home runs in 131 games, although he heated up in September.

In Tuesday's thrilling wild-card game victory over the Oakland Athletics, Hosmer's triple in the 12th inning launched the winning comeback.

"I'm happy for them and I'm happy for the organization,'' Moore said as the Royals packed up for the flight to Kansas City, a commanding series lead safely tucked away. "They love to compete, they love to play. Individuals with those types of character traits love being in situations with the game on the line, and they've responded.''

Before Hosmer teed off on reliever Kevin Jepsen for the night's biggest hit, Moustakas and center fielder Jarrod Dyson combined for a play that helped force the game into extra innings.

With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth and nobody out, pinch-runner Collin Cowgill tagged from second on a Chris Iannetta drive to center. Moustakas caught Dyson's strong but slightly off-line throw on a short hop and lunged to nab the sliding Cowgill for a double play that killed the incipient rally.

"That's a huge base to get and there's no doubt you want to pressure them in that situation,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Dyson just made an incredible defensive play.''

So far in this series, it has been the Royals coming up with the critical play every time, and it has put the team with the majors' best record in a huge hole, and having to face Kansas City ace James Shields on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium to climb out of it.

If it's any consolation, Shields doesn't figure to be any tougher than Yordano Ventura, who limited the high-powered Angels to five hits and a run over seven innings and was still firing 100-mph fastballs in the seventh. The Royals' hermetic bullpen took over after that, adding four more zeroes to the five it put up Thursday as Kansas City became the first team ever to win three extra-inning playoff games in a row.

"It's not a fluke,'' outfielder Lorenzo Cain said. "We're getting it done. We're sticking to our strengths, pitching, defense and speed. We're going to stick with that the rest of this year and ride it all the way out.''

Just as Moore and company planned all along, right?