Kansas City Royals starters show their flexibility with weekend rotation shuffle
For several weeks the Kansas City Royals have operated with the understanding that one of their starting pitchers could get pressed into duty out of the bullpen on a given night.
The pitching staff moved from a five-man starting rotation to a six-man rotation earlier this month when Brady Singer came off the injured list (shoulder fatigue).
At the time, Daniel Lynch, Carlos Hernández, Mike Minor, Brad Keller, Kris Bubic and Singer were all part of the starting rotation.
With six starters, the bullpen went with one fewer pitcher. The members of the Royals coaching staff knew they could face a trying situation with a reduced bullpen. In order to cover the possibility of running out of viable relief options due to usage, workload, schedule and an unforeseen volume of innings required, they’ve had starters available in the bullpen as an emergency.
“It has been interesting, but the preparation doesn’t necessarily change because you’re still prepared for the five-day schedule,” Bubic said. “Any time your name is called to pitch, you just go out there and get outs regardless of what day it’s on and who you’re facing and whatnot. Just keeping that mentality has been important.”
Starters have regularly waited until postgame to throw their typical between-starts side sessions, saving those bullets in case they were needed in a game. The need hadn’t arisen until Friday night in Seattle.
Bubic’s pitch count put him on track to not get much deeper than four innings on a night when the Royals were running very thin on options.
Once Salvador Perez hit a grand slam to tie the score, Royals manager Mike Matheny decided to try to capitalize on the momentum created by the grand slam and told Saturday’s scheduled starter, Hernández, to get warm and ready to pitch out of the bullpen.
Hernández pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed just one infield single and an unearned run due to the Mariners beginning the 10th inning with a runner on second base due to the MLB extra-inning rules.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen something as impressive as what we just watched,” Matheny said of Hernández’s outing. “All things considered with the last start he had and then jumping right back into this one and giving up one infield hit in 5 2/3. He just looked as good as we’ve ever seen him. Just attacking the zone with every pitch. Just so confident. That was huge for him.”
The trickle-down effect of Hernández being used on Friday night meant Sunday’s scheduled starter, Lynch, left Friday night’s game early in order to prepare and rest to start on Saturday.
Singer, who last started on Tuesday, got moved up to start on Sunday.
“I was aware of the possibility that that could happen, so when they told me that I was going to pitch I just flipped my mindset,” Lynch said after his start on Saturday. “I went home and got locked in and got ready to pitch. That’s the nature of what we’re doing.
“I knew it was a possibility. I didn’t think it contributed or did anything different. I knew it was a possibility, so once they told that was a possibility I went home and got ready to go.”
The Royals starting rotation does not have six starters currently since Keller went on the IL on Friday with a right lat strain.
Even without a sixth starter, a scheduled off day on Monday means no pitcher will have to make their next start on short rest.
The Royals have not yet announced whether they will move to a five-man rotation or add a sixth starter to the rotation to replace Keller.
