Alec Marsh earned spot as Kansas City Royals starter. He dazzled in his 2024 debut
Alec Marsh entered spring training looking to prove he belonged in the Kansas City Royals’ starting rotation.
Marsh shined in camp and earned the coveted fifth starter spot. But he still needed to perform on the biggest stage.
On Tuesday, Marsh erased any lingering doubts against the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed one earned run in seven innings. He surrendered two hits, one walk and struck out five batters in a 4-1 Royals victory.
“It was good,” Marsh said. “I was excited. I feel I do a lot better in cold and rainy (weather) because I grew up in Wisconsin. I was just really excited for this one, sitting around for five, six days watching everyone do their thing and pitch. It was definitely a lot of nerves and excitement before the game. I just wanted to get out there.”
The Royals improved to 2-3. Marsh limited a red-hot Orioles offense that had outscored teams by 16 runs in four games. And he did so with the full complement of his pitching arsenal.
Marsh mixed in six pitches against the Orioles. He relied on his sweeper early and attacked with his four-seam fastball. The sweeper, which Marsh developed last season, registered seven swings and four whiffs, per Baseball Savant.
The Orioles were stymied all night. Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser had the lone hits against Marsh. In the third inning, the duo hit consecutive doubles to account for the Orioles’ lone run.
“Well, it was outstanding,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Marsh’s start. “I mean, that’s adverse conditions to pitch in against a really good lineup and he did nothing but attack right from the get go. They hit some balls hard that we were fortunate enough to be in the right spot and made some nice plays. But overall, I think he set the tone.”
Meanwhile, the Royals gave Marsh an early lead. KC scored three runs in the second inning behind Nick Loftin and Maikel Garcia.
Loftin, who struck out with the bases loaded on Monday, redeemed himself with a RBI single to put the Royals on the board. Garcia followed with a two-run double as the Royals took a 3-0 lead.
“It’s great. It’s just huge for the team,” Marsh said. “It got the team going early.”
Later, Garcia added an RBI triple in the fourth inning. The Royals extended their lead to 4-1 as the bullpen shut the door late. Will Smith picked up his first save.
“He dominated,” Loftin said of Marsh. “It’s always fun watching him. I’ve been watching since back in the minor leagues. When that guy gets going, that’s also really, really scary.”
Missed previous coverage of the series?
Tough Loss: Royals drop series opener to Orioles in walk-off fashion
Costly Mistakes: How Royals squandered late-inning scoring chance against Orioles
Here are more notables from Tuesday’s game:
Royals capitalize early against Orioles
The Royals let a key scoring chance slip on Monday night. They failed to score with the bases loaded and it cost them in a 6-4 loss.
Things were different on Tuesday. Loftin rebounded against Orioles starter Cole Irvin in the second inning. He worked a five-pitch at-bat and deposited an RBI single through the right-field hole.
“It’s baseball,” Loftin said. “You know, it’s a game of failure but also a game of opportunity. I was able to make the most of my opportunity today. Very thankful I was able to come through early in the game and keep the at-bats rolling for the boys.”
Garrett Hampson scored on the play. He had reached scoring position after a one-out walk and a Freddy Fermin single.
The Royals took an early advantage. Then, Garcia doubled to give the Royals a 3-0 lead they wouldn’t surrender.
“He missed the changeup and fastball up,” Garcia said. “So, he came with the fastball again. I was just trying to hit the ball hard. I’m glad to hit that (double).”
Irvin was charged with the loss. He allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings.
Up next on the KC Royals schedule
The Royals conclude the three-game series against the Orioles. Cole Ragans will start against Corbin Burnes on Wednesday afternoon from Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. Central.
After that, the Royals will return home for a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox, beginning Thursday, April 4, at 6:40 p.m.
This story was originally published April 2, 2024 at 8:10 PM.
