Major League Baseball

Yost stays confident in Shields, 'resilient' Royals after Game 1 loss

Published Oct. 22, 2014 12:35 a.m. ET

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As much as James Shields continues to struggle in the playoffs, Royals manager Ned Yost isn't about to change gears with his No. 1 starter if there is a Game 5 in the World Series.

Yost emphatically said Shields would start Game 5, if necessary, even though Shields, after another rough start Tuesday, saw his postseason ERA balloon to 7.11 this year.

"Yes," Yost said. "He's a guy that we've watched for two years. He's a guy that is very competitive. He's like what you saw from (Madison) Bumgarner tonight -- that's James Shields.

"I've been in this game a long time and I've seen guys struggle two, three and four times and then come out of it with a fantastic game. ... So, this is a funny game because you can go out and give up seven runs one game and come back five days later and throw a great game.

"He has the ability to make adjustments."

Shields dug the Royals a huge hole when he left after three-plus innings, having been charged with five runs in an eventual 7-1 loss.

Shields had one simple explanation:

"I just had a bad game," he said. "I've got to bear down. I've got to do better."

Asked if there were any similarities between Tuesday's game and the game he struggled in against Baltimore, Shields seemed disgusted by the inquiry.

"Next question, man," he said.

Shields gave up an RBI double to Pablo Sandoval to right and then a two-run homer to Hunter Pence to right-center in the first inning. Both pitches were down in the zone and, in fact, the pitch to Sandoval likely would have been a ball.

"I can't really say James made bad pitches there," Yost said. "They are a notorious bad-ball hitting team and they got the job done."

Shields, though, didn't seem to have any command after that, especially with his fastball and changeup.

Shields said the long layoff wasn't an excuse.

"I just made bad pitches," he said. "It had nothing to do with the layoff."

Catcher Sal Perez agreed.

"Just a bad day," Perez said. "He's usually better."

Perez also was adamant that the blowout loss wouldn't faze the Royals, who finally lost after starting the postseason an MLB-record 8-0.

"It's one game," Perez said. "We'll come back. We come back all the time."

Added Yost: "I didn't really expect us to sweep the San Francisco Giants. That's a really good team over there."

Shields said the mood in the clubhouse directly after the game and before reporters entered was no different than any other loss this season.

"Nobody is down," he said. "This is a team with a lot of character. The first thing everyone said was, 'Hey, forget about this. Let's come right back tomorrow and get 'em. Let's win tomorrow.'

"That's been our attitude all year. We're resilient."

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

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