Burch Smith delivers career-best pitching outing; Royals win fourth in five
Some of the best outings of Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann’s career have come against the Royals, a collection of six starts without a loss and without a home run allowed.
About three minutes after he took the mound Tuesday, Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas changed the latter.
An unlikely culprit erased the former.
In just his third start this year, Royals right-hander Burch Smith threw into the seventh inning, out-dueling Zimmermann in a 5-4 victory in front of 29,597 fans at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday.
Smith, 28, produced unquestionably his best appearance in his first season in a Royals uniform. A Rule 5 draft selection in December, Smith allowed just one hit and two walks over 6 1/3 innings.
In a 96-pitch outing, which he departed to a standing ovation, he picked up his first MLB win since 2013. The Royals won for the fourth time in five games since the all-star break.
“It’s been a long time,” Smith said. “Just happy to get the opportunity to get a win (and) start. It feels good.”
The two walks were his final two batters, and they each scored when lefty reliever Tim Hill gave up a three-run homer. Smith struck out six, all but one of them swinging, the truest indication of the mixture of pitches that kept the Tigers from timing his fastball.
“What a game he pitched,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Had three pitches going — his fastball, his curveball and his changeup. Put them in good locations. Very few mistakes. Just pitched on the attack all night long.”
After joining the Royals in the offseason, Smith initially blended into a struggling Royals bullpen. He had an earned run average above 6 in that role.
His preparation — a lengthy routine — prompted the switch to the rotation. On Tuesday, Yost described that the coaching staff would have to phone the bullpen half an inning early to make sure Smith would be ready to pitch in time.
His first two turns in the Royals rotation did not offer much of a foreshadow to the supremacy that would come Tuesday. Smith failed to make it out of the fourth inning in his first start. He didn’t even trot out for the third inning in his second opportunity.
But he was borderline unhittable in his third on Tuesday, the lone disruption a fourth-inning single from second baseman Niko Goodrum. Royals catcher Salvador Perez negated the leadoff single by pegging out Goodrum trying to steal.
“I’ve started my whole life,” Smith said. “This year is my first time in the bullpen. I’m comfortable starting.”
Perez and Moustakas backed Smith with homers in the win.
The Royals (31-69) have thrown rookies in three consecutive starts — Brad Keller, Heath Fillmyer and Smith — and all three have thrown at least six innings.
When Smith departed the mound for the final time Tuesday, the Tigers still had a zero on the scoreboard. One batter later, Victor Martinez homered off Hill, with two walks from Smith scoring. Offered a two-run lead in the ninth, Royals pitcher Wily Peralta allowed one run and recorded the save. Martinez flew out to right for the final out.
A first-inning blast from Moustakas ensured Smith would be pitching with a lead the entire night. Moustakas tagged Zimmermann for a no-doubter in the right-field bullpen, his 20th of the season providing a potential boost to his value seven days before the MLB trade deadline. The Royals have scored twice in the first inning four times in five games since the All-Star break.
In seven previous appearances against the Royals, including six starts, Zimmermann had prevented a home run across 42 2/3 innings, posting a 1.48 earned run average.
Moustakas got him early. Perez added another a little later. His 362-foot line drive snuck over the left-field wall for his 15th home run of the year. Perez had three hits and was a triple shy of the cycle.
Zimmermann lasted just five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.
This story was originally published July 24, 2018 at 10:09 PM.