Royals hold off Mariners as Scott Barlow has bounce-back outing
Kansas City Royals right-hander Scott Barlow came into camp as one of the steadier bullpen options returning from last season. Early on in spring training, he’s had to work to get through his outings.
Barlow, who recorded 14 holds and one save last season, tossed a scoreless fifth inning in Saturday’s 9-6 Cactus League win over the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium. Barlow struck out Carlos Gonzalez with a pair of runners on to end the inning, his second of the spring.
“Fastball feels good, slider was pretty good today,” Barlow said. “Curveball, maybe not up to par for what I’d like it to be, but the previous days it was there. So I just count it as one of those days.”
Barlow retired the first two batters on ground balls to first baseman Hunter Dozier. Then Daniel Vogelbach walked and Tom Murphy singled to left field before Barlow struck out Gonzalez swinging.
“I did OK,” Barlow said of his overall outing. “The first two hitters were pretty quick. Worked Vogelbach a little bit, but I feel like I executed most of my pitches to him. Then the single, just a fastball over the plate that just wasn’t away enough. (Gonzalez) put up a really good at-bat, where I ended up striking him out, but I ended up finding it later in that at-bat.”
In his only other outing this spring, Barlow gave up one run on one hit — a solo home run by Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez.
Outfield prospect Khalil Lee doubled and drove in a pair of runs. Brett Phillips hit an RBI double and Kyle Isbel hit a solo home run.
Holland keeps cruising
Greg Holland’s campaign to win a job in the Royals’ bullpen has yet to hit a significant snag so far this spring. Holland pitched his third 1-2-3 inning of the Cactus League season, and he has now retired all nine batters he’s faced.
On Saturday, Holland struck out back-to-back batters, one swinging and one looking, after Dee Gordon started the inning with a fly out to center field.
“I feel like I repeated my delivery well and threw a lot of quality pitches,” Holland said. “At this point in spring training, I’m trying to key in on more throwing pitches in the strike zone. A couple of breaking balls I threw, later in the season I might try to expand the strike zone with those. But I’m trying to throw them for strikes because that’s a lot harder for me to do than throw it below the zone.”
Rough day
Rule 5 Draft pick and right-handed pitcher Stephen Woods Jr. started against the Mariners and didn’t make it through the first inning. Woods struggled to throw strikes and walked two of the first five batters.
Woods left the game because of an injury with two outs, the bases loaded and two strikes against the batter Carlos Gonzalez after a visit to the mound by manager Mike Matheny and head trainer Nick Kenney.
The Royals announced that Woods sprained his left ankle. He hurt it while running off the mound to cover first base earlier in the inning. Left-handed pitcher Tim Hill entered the game in relief of Woods.
Lineup adjustment
Royals right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder Ryan McBroom, who throws left-handed, started Saturday’s game in the starting lineup and batting leadoff as the second baseman.
Matheny explained in the morning that the move allowed the staff to assure McBroom an at-bat against a left-handed pitcher in Mariners starter Marco Gonzales, and that McBroom wouldn’t play the field after his first at-bat.
McBroom hit the first pitch of the game to the wall in right field for a double, and Erick Mejia pinch ran. McBroom received congratulations from his teammates for a job well done upon returning to the dugout.
This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 5:57 PM.
