Royals’ Jeremy Guthrie gets game three start in ALCS against familiar opponent

Every player on the Royals’ postseason roster has appeared in the playoffs, except one.

That changes Monday.

Before Saturday’s game two of the American League Championship Series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Royals manager Ned Yost named Jeremy Guthrie his starting pitcher for game three at Kauffman Stadium.

That the opponent is the Orioles, the organization where Guthrie spent more years and pitched more games than any other in his pro career, makes it all the more special.

And Guthrie, perhaps more than most, appreciates his role in a matchup of teams that are experiencing similar revivals.

“I think this is very serendipitous that I leave a franchise that I was a part of for five years and had had a long drought of being in the playoffs, but had a storied history and past, and end up on a team with another rich history, as well, but an even longer drought,” Guthrie said.

That would be 29 years of playoff-less baseball for the Royals, and an even longer World Series drought for the Orioles: 31 years.

Yost said Jason Vargas “probably” would start game four on Tuesday.

Danny Duffy, who compiled the best ERA among Royals’ starters this season, at 2.53, will likely remain in the bullpen.

“With 11 pitchers (on the ALCS roster), we like having that power arm down there,” Yost said.

Guthrie essentially got his major-league start in Baltimore. He was the Indians’ first-round pick in 2007 and made 16 appearances for the club in three years.

After the 2006 season, the Orioles claimed Guthrie off waivers and he soon became a fixture in the rotation. He appeared in 161 games over five seasons and started 153, compiling a 47-65 record with a 4.20 ERA.

Those teams struggled, though. The Orioles never won more than 69 games in a season and finished last in the East Division four times.

Guthrie’s fortunes changed with Kansas City, which acquired him from the Rockies in 2012. Counting the second half of 2012, Guthrie has spun winning records each season and owns a 33-26 record in a Royals uniform. He led the team in victories with 15 last season and went 13-11 with a 4.13 ERA this year as the team’s fifth starter.

As a fly-ball pitcher, Guthrie has benefited from Kauffman’s spacious dimensions.

He likely would have been the Royals’ starter if the American League Division Series against the Angels had gone to a fourth game. Because it didn’t, Guthrie hasn’t pitched since Sept. 26 against the White Sox. He was the winning pitcher on the night the Royals clinched a playoff spot, throwing one of his better games this year, with six strikeouts and no earned runs in seven innings of a 3-1 victory.

“I’ve never had this much time between starts aside from being on the DL,” Guthrie said. “So I don’t view it one way or another. I was able to throw a simulated game, which at least gave me the opportunity to go out there and face hitters and treat them like I would in a game. That went well. I had a feel for my pitches.

“I don’t think you’ll see too much difference. But hopefully, being on the mound a number of times as I have been, pitching that game and going through the normal routine will allow me to go out there and feel just like I do when I pitch every five days.”

As a Royal, Guthrie has made four career starts against the Orioles, two in each of the last two seasons, and he’s done well, compiling a 2-1 record and 2.67 ERA.

In his postseason debut on Monday, he’ll be surrounded by familiarity in the biggest game of his career.

“To be in the playoffs with Kansas City is very exciting,” Guthrie said. “And then to come back and play against a team that I played with before makes it even that much more interesting and ironic.”

This story was originally published October 11, 2014 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Royals’ Jeremy Guthrie gets game three start in ALCS against familiar opponent."