Danny Duffy encouraged by ‘explosive’ fastball in Royals spring game vs. Diamondbacks
Danny Duffy couldn’t help it. The Kansas City Royals’ left-hander knew the ball was coming out of his hand well. It felt good. Hitters weren’t jumping all over it. So he glanced up at the radar gun a couple times.
The 94-95 mph fastball readings caught his eye.
“Pretty explosive stuff today,” Duffy said. “I’m not much of a scoreboard peeker, but I saw a couple fives up there today I was really excited about. The electricity seems to be there. My fastball command was pretty good outside of the third. I was trying to get my footing.”
Duffy allowed four runs — just one earned — two hits and two walks Saturday. He struck out six, and one of the hits he gave up was a solo home run as the Royals tied 6-6 with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Cactus League game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Arizona.
The Royals (12-6-2) have tied in back-to-back games.
Duffy, who is about to enter his 11th season in the majors, didn’t give up a hit until the third inning. With two outs in the third, Duffy walked back-to-back batters and then third baseman Hunter Dozier committed an error on a high fly ball in the Arizona sky.
The error allowed a run to score. The next batter, Christian Walker, hit a double to center field to give the Diamondbacks a 3-1 lead.
“I’d like to work on that more and try to get that going with more confidence and more conviction,” Duffy said of the backdoor slider he threw. “That’s a pitch that I’ve worked on for almost three years. I’m just starting to get comfortable with it. Christian Walker actually bit me — off the fence today — with one that bled back middle.
“But the next inning we came back with it and put it right where we wanted to. That’s a win when we’re out here in spring training. That’s why we’re here. … For me to be able to come back and have the trust in the work and be able to place one right after getting bit by a bad one, I was pleased with that.”
The Royals scored five runs via home runs by Kyle Isbel, Ryan McBroom and Emmanuel Rivera.
Isbel started the game with a solo smash. McBroom hit a two-run blast in the fourth after Ryan O’Hearn reached on an error.
After, Michael A. Taylor tripled and scored on a Dozier double in the fifth inning, Rivera hit a two-run homer to tie the score in the seventh inning with Isbel aboard.
Isbel, Taylor, Dozier and McBroom had two hits apiece.
“He’s got a high level of expectation for himself,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Duffy. “I think he just needs to keep pushing himself to achieve the things that he wants to achieve. Right now, he’s been making good pitches.”
Reliever Brad Brach gave up two runs and three hits in the fifth inning.
Wade Davis, Scott Barlow, Jesse Hahn and Carlos Hernández each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Catch and throw
Catcher Salvador Perez showed off his throwing arm in Friday’s tie. He picked off the Angels’ Juan Lagares at first base to end the first inning. Perez also threw out Jack Kruger trying to steal second base in the fifth inning.
So far this spring, Perez has thrown out one of three attempted base stealers. The two runners called safe may have been challenged if the Royals had the option they have during the regular season.
Perez, who had Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm in 2019, has been considered one of the top all-around catchers in the game. He has won five AL Gold Glove awards (2013-16 and 2018). For his career, he has thrown out 35 percent of opposing base stealers.
“This guy can flat throw,” Matheny said. “But that fearlessness and that aggressiveness, not everybody has that. That’s kind of what makes him special. It’s fun to watch he and (first baseman Carlos) Santana work together, that aggressiveness.
“You watch M.J. (Melendez) and (Sebastian) Rivero work with Nick Pratto. You hear all through the minor leagues about how many people they pickoff. They back-pick guys all the time. That’s just a want to. They want to make plays. That’s how Salvy is behind the plate. You have some good throwers that don’t necessarily like to throw. When you have one that does, it stands out.”
