Bannister is brilliant again as Royals top Twins 5-1
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Bannister threw everything from 90 mph fastballs to 64 mph curveballs, and Buck complimented his ability to command both sides of the plate.
With the wind blowing out to right field, Bannister said he was trying to get the Twins to hit it to left field — and they hit 10 that direction, compared to just two to right field.
Bannister also said that because Liriano was making his first start back from surgery, he put extra emphasis on working quickly to force Liriano to be on the mound as much as possible.
“I can go on hot streaks,” Bannister said. “I just hope the hot streaks are longer than the cold streaks. I’ll go out there and keep the momentum going and keep going after hitters as long as everything’s working. When it stops, you regroup, and then you try to do it again.”
UP NEXT: MARINERS
The Royals open a two-game series at Seattle at 9:10 tonight (FSNKC).
So far, he’s all aces
There was some question in the offseason as to whether Brian Bannister’s successful rookie season was a fluke. After Sunday’s win, which he enjoyed with catcher John Buck (above), the fluke seems to be how he lost nine times.
| Date | Opp. | IP | H | R | BB | SO | P-S* | Result |
| April 2 | at Det | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 86-54 | W 4-0 |
| April 8 | vs. NY | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 97-58 | W 5-2 |
| April 13 | vs. Min | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 111-71 | W 5-1 |
* Pitches-strikes
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To reach Sam Mellinger, national baseball reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4365 or send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com.
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