Why Kansas City Royals pitcher Jordan Lyles could be trending up in season’s 2nd half
The 2023 season hasn’t been kind to Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jordan Lyles ... but things could be looking up.
The veteran right-hander gave up a season-high nine hits and surrendered five runs in a recent loss to the New York Yankees — a defeat that dropped his record this year to an MLB-worst 1-12.
And then the 32-year-old bounced back against the Minnesota Twins Saturday at Kauffman Stadium, scattering four hits and three runs through five innings.
He picked up his second win of the season in the process.
“He gave us a chance to win,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He came right back ... the next time out and went right after the hitters again. The pitch count got up, but his stuff was good.”
Lyles’ best work Saturday came in the first and third innings, when the Twins went three-up, three-down. He punched out shortstop Carlos Correra to start the game and again in the third.
Quatraro said even though Lyles lost his command during parts of the third and fourth innings, he succeeded in keeping the Royals in the game.
Saturday’s 1-2-3 first inning marked Lyles’ fourth in his 20 appearances this season. Against the Yankees, he gave up four runs in the first but found a rhythm, surrendering just one more run.
Lyles credited KC’s offense Saturday — the Royals churned out a season-high 18 hits against Minnesota. That helped him find success even without his best stuff on a 92-degree day.
“The weather was probably the biggest key for me to get my feet wet (and) not throw 20-plus, 25-plus pitches in that climate,” Lyles said. “(The offense) allowed me to be comfortable even when I didn’t have that command.”
The Twins jumped on Lyles for three runs in the fourth inning. But he finished the day strong with a hitless fifth.
In his last three starts, Lyles has put together two successful outings to begin the second half of the season. His final appearance before the All-Star break (vs. Cleveland) consisted of six hits and one run over five innings.
Quatraro didn’t sound too concerned about Lyles’ showing against the Yankees — those happen sometimes. Instead, he pointed out that Lyles has succeeded in giving the Royals some quality innings of late.
“The last six weeks or so he’s thrown a lot of good games for us,” Quatraro said. “Even when his pitch count gets up, he gets in there and he stays in through five (innings).”
With multiple solid performances entering the second-half of the season — and Quatraro’s endorsement — Lyles seems to be trending in the right direction.
“Hopefully I’ll have a little bit more command of my pitches,” he said, “mainly the four-seam fastball, and get deeper in my next start.”
This story was originally published July 30, 2023 at 1:16 PM.
