Joe Blanton shows no rust, pitches Royals to 10-2 win over Brewers

Joe Blanton hadn’t started a game since 2013 and wasn’t sure he’d ever pitch again after that season.

But there he was, walking off the mound after five innings of work, with a safe lead that would become a 10-2 Royals’ victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

“It had been awhile,” Blanton said.

Almost two years, in a season that ended with a 2-14 record for Blanton. He made two minor-league starts the next April before walking away from the game. Maybe not for good, but for the moment, which turned into the season.

He returned in solid shape with a livelier arm when the Royals signed him to a minor league contract in February, and his role upon being called up in mid-May was to eat innings. He had appeared in seven games, all Royals losses.

But as injuries and inconsistency infiltrated the Royals’ rotation, Blanton was summoned. He had made 248 career starts before Wednesday, and he said he didn’t feel nervous before this one. But there seemed to be a sense of relief when it was over.

“It felt good to be back,” Blanton said. “You’re thinking that last year you just don’t know. For me it was mentally, getting away and getting a breather. It may not really what you want to do, take a year off, but it seemed to be a good thing for me.”

The Royals liked what they saw from Blanton in spring training.

“Time off never hurts a pitcher with a lot of innings as long as they continue to condition their body and mentally they stay strong,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “All indications were with Joe was he was somebody who could help us at some point in 2015.”

At Class AAA Omaha, Blanton went 3-2 with a 3.89 ERA while holding opponents to a .227 batting average. Six of his seven appearances were starts.

“Every time out, he pitched better and better,” Moore said.

He was needed Wednesday. The Royals are dealing with a second disabled list stint for Jason Vargas. Danny Duffy is on rehabilitation assignment and Yordano Ventura is working out some numbness in his hand.

It’s why Chris Young, who has been sensational since joining the rotation in May, has remained a starter, and why Blanton got the call against the Brewers.

Blanton seemed determine to keep it going from the outset, getting Gerardo Parra to foul out on the first pitch and striking out Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun. On the night, he struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

The outcome also provided historic for Royals manager Ned Yost, who improved his career record in Kansas City to 410-427. That ties him with Whitey Herzog for atop the victory list.

Yost stiff-armed the accomplishment after the game, preferring to speak on the matter when he becomes the all-time leader. The way the Royals have played lately, it should be soon.

After a late May, early June swoon, the Royals have won seven of nine. The schedule has grown favorable and the bats have heated up.

The victory pulled Royals manager Ned Yost into a tie with Whitey Herzog atop the Royals’ career victory list. Yost, already the franchise leader in games managed, is 410-427 since taking over the job in May, 2010. He passed Dick Howser for the second spot earlier this month.

The Brewers jumped ahead on Scotter Gennett’s RBI triple in the second and the Royals answered immediately, although the inning had to survive a potential rally killing plate appearance.

Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales found holes for singes and Alex Gordon walked. Salvador Perez, hitting .378 in his last eight games, popped out meekly.

Alex Rios came through with a sacrifice fly to right, ensuring the Royals wouldn’t come up empty.

But two outs and runners in scoring position hasn’t bothered the Royals for most of the season. Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez made a diving stop in the hole but couldn’t make a play on Omar Infante’s grounder, scoring Morales.

Infante, whose position atop the American League All-Star team vote-getters had been widely panned, had his sixth hit in his ninth plate appearance and first RBI since May 19, a span of 75 plate appearances.

Alcides Escobar’s line drive to right scored Gordon and the Royals staked Blanton to a 3-1 lead.

The Royals added three more in the fifth inning, highlighted by Lorenzo Cain’s plate appearance.

He missed his third home run in three days when his drive drifted a few feet on the foul side of the pole in left. A few pitches later, Cain scorched a drive down the left field line, barely foul.

But he had Brewers starter Mike Fiers measured and finally unloaded a triple into the left field gap, scoring Mike Moustakas, who had singled.

“Phenomenal at-bat,” Yost said. “He just missed a home run and double boy did he drive it hard in the gap.”

Morales singled home Cain and Gordon’s sacrifice fly plated Eric Hosmer, who had walked. The lead was 6-1.

It swelled to 9-2 on Escobar’s bases clearing triple in the eighth. The Royals tacked on a final tally on Moustakas’ ground out and by then the Royals had more than enough to claim their third straight victory over the Brewers.

Royals 10, Brewers 2

TableStyle: SP-basebattersCCI Template: SP-basebatters

TableStyle: SP-basebattersCCI Template: SP-basebatters

TableStyle: SP-basebyinningsCCI Template: SP-basebyinnings

a-grounded out for Braun in the 9th. b-walked for Lind in the 9th. c-struck out for Ar.Ramirez in the 9th.

LOB: Milwaukee 4, Kansas City 6. 2B: C.Gomez (13), L.Cain (12). 3B: Gennett (1), S.Peterson (1), A.Escobar (2), L.Cain (2). RBIs: G.Parra (18), Gennett (7), A.Escobar 4 (24), Moustakas (23), L.Cain (29), K.Morales (42), A.Gordon (31), Rios (9), Infante (18). SF: A.Gordon, Rios.

Runners left in scoring position: Milwaukee 2 (Segura, H.Gomez); Kansas City 3 (Moustakas, S.Perez, K.Morales). RISP: Milwaukee 1 for 5; Kansas City 5 for 11. Runners moved up: G.Parra, C.Gomez, Moustakas, Hosmer. GIDP: Ar.Ramirez, K.Morales. DP: Milwaukee 1 (Gennett, Segura, Lind); Kansas City 1 (Moustakas, Infante, Hosmer).

TableStyle: SP-basepitchersCCI Template: SP-basepitchers

TableStyle: SP-basepitchersCCI Template: SP-basepitchers

Inherited runners-scored: W.Smith 1-0. WP: Fiers 3.

Umpires: Home, Clint Fagan; First, Jeff Nelson; Second, Laz Diaz; Third, Chris Guccione. Time: 3:05. Att:33,420 (37,903).

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Joe Blanton shows no rust, pitches Royals to 10-2 win over Brewers."