Royals rally chases Giants' Vogelsong in 3rd inning of Game 4

Ryan Vogelsong's sterling postseason reputation took another hit Saturday in Game 4 of the World Series.

The 37-year-old right-hander tossed two scoreless frames before being removed with two outs in the third inning, his team trailing 4-1 after an improbable rally from the Kansas City Royals.

With two outs and a runner on first base, Lorenzo Cain collected an infield single that put runners at the corners for Eric Hosmer. The 25-year-old proceeded to dribble a ground ball between the pitcher's mound and first base that appeared to be the third out of the inning, but Vogelsong was unable to locate first base after receiving the ball from Brandon Belt, a gaffe that allowed Alcides Escobar to score from third while extending the inning.

Visibly agitated after the botched play, Vogelsong quickly unraveled. He issued a four-pitch walk to Mike Moustakas in the following at-bat to load the bases before Omar Infante plated two runs with a single to center field. A bloop single from Salvador Perez then afforded the Royals a 4-1 lead and ultimately chased Vogelsong from the game.

Once lauded as a terrific October performer - the former All-Star authored a 1.19 ERA through the first five postseason outings of his career - Vogelsong has failed to pitch beyond the third inning in each of his last two playoff starts.