Danny Duffy stumbles again as Royals fall to Rangers, 8-2

The vanishing act occurred in two stages. First the 97th and final pitch of Danny Duffy’s latest debacle disappeared over the right-field fence, powered by Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre. Duffy disappeared a few moments later, yanked by manager Ned Yost in the fourth inning of a 8-2 loss on Monday night.

Frazzled by the night before, the Royals sought steadiness from Duffy. Instead he combusted for the second game in a row. The wounds were self-inflicted: He operated with little command and matched a career high with six walks. His fastball zipped in the mid-90s, but did not fool the Rangers. Texas tagged him for six runs in 3 2/3 innings.

“I don’t think anybody takes it harder than I do, taking my team out of the game,” Duffy said. “And that’s what I did today. I didn’t do my job. And it’s two in a row. It’s not for lack of confidence. I just flat-out didn’t do my job.”

The performance displeased Yost and pitching coach Dave Eiland, who sensed a pattern in these last two outings. Yost indicated there was no plan to skip Duffy’s next start. He hopes Duffy will avoid a repeat of Monday, when Yost witnessed “a lot of throwing, not much pitching,” he said.

Eiland intended to remind Duffy, yet again, to stop trying to overpower opponents. The zeal for aggression interrupts the kinetic chain in Duffy’s delivery. The result is spotty control and disappointing results. It is a point Eiland has made before.

“He’s aware of all this,” Eiland said. “Being aware of it and going out and doing it are two different things.”

Duffy’s margin for mistakes was thin. The Royals (20-12) outlasted both the rain and the Tigers for a 10th-inning victory that ended early Monday morning. Texas starter Colby Lewis silenced them for seven innings. The effort from Duffy rendered the defeat a fait accompli.

The second inning formed the centerpiece of this calamity. Duffy (2-2, 5.67 ERA) walked the first three batters he faced, let the first six men reach base and amassed 48 pitches. His slider and his changeup lacked interest in approaching the strike zone. He let a run score on a wild pitch when he spiked a fastball in the dirt. During a mound conference with catcher Salvador Perez, Duffy appeared sweaty and shaken.

“I just couldn’t locate anything today,” Duffy said. “That place out there can be a really fun place, or feel like you’re really not doing your job. That’s how it felt the last two starts. Nobody feels worse than me. I cost my team two games.”

When Duffy lasted only one inning in his last outing, he insisted afterward he felt healthy. Yet the questions about his condition will only increase after Monday. His velocity indicates his arm can execute properly. The quest for Duffy will be convincing the rest of his body to cooperate.

From his vantage in the dugout, Eiland diagnosed a series of mechanical misalignment. Duffy jerked his head off its intended line. His strides were too long. The glitches caused his pitches to veer in unintended directions.

To the Royals, the Rangers did not clobber Duffy on Monday. Instead they benefited from his failings.

“He’s in total control of it,” Eiland said. “This is something he can control. It’s very simple. It’s a very, very simple adjustment if you will, a way of thinking.

“There’s no major problems here. There’s no health issues. There’s no game plan issues. Well, there is a game plan issue. Because his first eight to 10 pitches, he wants to throw all fastballs, and he wants to throw them 110 mph. You can’t do that. You’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to pitch.”

Eiland saw Duffy find this groove midway through the second inning. He also saw it for sizable chunks of 2014. The team saw Duffy at his apex just two starts ago.

On the final day in April, Duffy fanned seven Tigers across seven innings of one-run baseball. He looked ascendant, capable of handling the responsibility at the front of a rotation. A starting staff rocked by suspensions and slumps sought a leader. Duffy appeared fit for the role.

His performance in May reminded of his fallibility. His command can dissolve without warning. As he fell apart on Monday, his teammates lacked the energy to bail him out.

Flying through the night from Detroit, the Royals checked into their hotel around 5:45 a.m. The players straggled to the ballpark about nine hours later. Yost cancelled batting practice. The only reliever he knew he could use were Franklin Morales and Yohan Pino. After logging 30 pitches the night before, closer Greg Holland remarked he felt like Muhammad Ali after fighting Larry Holmes.

Duffy possessed no such excuse. He flew to Texas on Saturday night by himself.

“He’s going to get his 100 [pitches],” Yost said. “There’s no way around that.”

In the second inning, Duffy required nearly half of that amount. He leaned on his fastball as he issued a leadoff walk to catcher Robinson Chirinos. Outfielder Leonys Martin tried to bunt Chirinos to second, but Duffy walked him on four pitches. Duffy dueled with a 28-year-old rookie named Tommy Field before relenting to walk the bases loaded.

At last, a hitter put a ball in play. It was Delino DeShields, the son of the long-time big leaguer with the same name. He smashed a full-count fastball for a two-run double.

“It was a 3-2 count,” Duffy said. “Obviously, I’m not getting my slider over. What do you think’s coming? He put a good swing on the ball. And from then on, I just didn’t execute.”

When Shin-Soo Choo came up to bat, Duffy lost control of the wild pitch. Another run scored. Choo followed up with a single up the middle for the Rangers’ fourth run. Duffy extended another free pass, this one to shortstop Elvis Andrus, but eventually he did escape the frame.

The end arrived two innings later. Duffy offered Beltre a 92-mph fastball at the belt. Beltre did not decline. Duffy watched a clip of the pitch after he left the game. The sight sickened him.

“I looked at where the pitch to Beltre was, and that was enough for me,” Duffy said. “Personally, I’ve been somebody who was so animated before. I do my best to wrangle that in, because I know how it works against me. That was about the height of my frustration tonight, seeing where I put that pitch to Beltre.”

Duffy can stew on the anger for one turn through the rotation. A chance for redemption should arrive this weekend against the Yankees.

“I’ve got to take the ball in five days and get back out there,” Duffy said. “I know my stuff is good enough. I know what I can do. I just haven’t done it the last two days. So I need to clean it up.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Danny Duffy stumbles again as Royals fall to Rangers, 8-2."