No one is criticizing drafting Hosmer and Moustakas now

Published Oct. 6, 2014 12:33 a.m. ET

foxsports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- They smashed home runs on the road to put the Royals up 2-0 in the series.

And Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer decided smashing a couple of more homers at home in front of their own fans would feel even better.

First it was Hosmer, who won Game 2 of the ALDS against the Angels with an extra-inning homer, blasting a 418-foot, two-run homer Sunday to give the Royals a commanding 5-1 lead and send the 40,657 fans at The K into a frenzy.

"It was a blast (doing it here)," Hosmer said. "This crowd is bringing us so much energy. They've got our backs on every single pitch, so to come do this in front of the home crowd, it felt great."

Moustakas, who won Game 1 with a homer in Anaheim, came up in the fourth inning and ripped a homer over the right-field bullpen.

"It doesn't really matter how we do it, whether it's bunting, stealing, hit-and-running," Moustakas said. "Yeah, it's fun hitting homers, but it's just fun winning.

"I think everyone in this clubhouse will tell you we just go out with the expectations of winning any way we can. Homers are great, but winning is greater."

The week of great moments might even be extra special for Hosmer and Moustakas, long considered the poster boys of general manager Dayton Moore's rebuilding effort with the Royals. Both were No. 1 picks and both have endured much criticism from fans and the media for not meeting expectations.

There has been no criticism this week.

"It's been a lot of fun for us," Hosmer said. "We've been preparing for this for a long time, it seems. A big characteristic of guys Dayton drafts is character, and I think everyone in this room has shown great character every time we have battled back.

"And that speaks for Moose and myself, too. We're winners. We want to win. The numbers and that stuff, it's for fans to see, but it all comes down to winning games."

You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.