Royals-Mets: 3 keys to Game 5 of the World Series

An ugly, error-laden collapse brought the New York Mets to the brink of elimination Saturday night at Citi Field, where the Kansas City Royals grabbed a commanding 3-1 lead in the World Series with a serendipitous 5-3 victory. Gotham needs a hero as Game 5 looms.

So who better to start Sunday than the Dark Knight?

No longer constrained by any innings limit or pitch count, Matt Harvey will get the opportunity to extend his club's magical season for at least two more days when he takes the mound for his second World Series start. Edinson Volquez, meanwhile, will try to lift the Royals to their first championship since 1985 with a heavy heart; the 32-year-old right-hander will get the ball mere hours after returning from his father's funeral in the Dominican Republic.

Here are three keys to Game 5 of the World Series:

MIX IT UP, MATT

Determined to keep the Royals off balance, Harvey deviated from his usual approach in Game 1, unloading just 31 four-seamers in 80 pitches (38.8 percent) to establish a new season-low for fastball usage. Still, he probably should've thrown even more offspeed stuff. Both of the extra-base hits Harvey allowed - including Alcides Escobar's inside-the-park home run on his first pitch of the game - came off fastballs that were poorly located. Amid a minor dip in velocity, Harvey induced only two whiffs with his four-seamer. Considering, also, that the Royals hit .308 against right-handers throwing 94-98 miles per hour this season - tops in the majors - Harvey should once again privilege his secondary offerings in Game 5.

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIA

Terry Collins raised plenty of eyebrows when he summoned closer Jeurys Familia from the bullpen with a six-run lead in Game 3, and, by his own admission, that outing affected the way Collins used his weary closer in Saturday's defeat. Instead of entrusting Familia to protect a one-run lead in the eighth, Collins went with Tyler Clippard, who promptly put the go-ahead run on base with one out before Familia was brought in to clean up the mess. He couldn't, though, and the 26-year-old who led the National League in games finished this year suffered his second blown save of the series.

Though Familia's outing would look very different had Daniel Murphy come up with that pivotal slow-roller off the bat of Eric Hosmer, his location throughout the World Series hasn't been particularly sharp. His velocity hasn't wavered much, and his whiff rate has actually increased, but Familia's average batted-ball velocity is up considerably from the previous two series, a likely function of poor pitch location. Still, even after three appearances in the last five nights, Collins will likely turn to a fatigued Familia for a high-leverage situation in Game 5, and his effectiveness could once again prove the difference between a win and a (season-ending) loss.

Familia's pitch chart, World Series

Familia's pitch chart, NLDS + NLCS

YO, MURPH, WHERE YOU AT?

Once considered a viable candidate to run for mayor of New York, Yoenis Cespedes has virtually become persona non grata in Queens with his performance this series. After stumbling through the first three games - he committed a costly error to open Game 1 and recorded just two hits in his first 13 at-bats (.154) - Cespedes' recent woes culminated Saturday, when he bungled another play in center field and was shockingly doubled off at first base to end the game.

Daniel Murphy has followed a similar path from hero to scapegoat. Despite blasting seven home runs through the first two rounds of the postseason, Murphy's most enduring postseason moment may have come Saturday, when he evoked Bill Buckner with a defensive miscue that allowed the tying run to score in the eighth inning. If the two impending free agents want to extend their respective tenures in New York for one more game (at least), they need to pick it up, both afield and at the plate, in Game 5.