Stephen Kolek made case for staying in Royals’ big-league rotation. Here’s how
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- Stephen Kolek threw a complete-game shutout as the Royals beat the Mariners 5-0.
- Kolek has eight quality starts in nine outings and a 2.29 ERA with the Royals.
- With Ragans and Bubic on the injured list, Kolek could keep a rotation spot for now.
The Kansas City Royals needed a fill-in candidate with two of their starting pitchers currently on the 15-day injured list.
All-Stars Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic are nursing elbow injuries. To varying degrees, the Royals are optimistic both will return soon.
On Saturday, however, the Royals handed one of their customary spots to right-handed pitcher Stephen Kolek against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium.
Kolek, 29, had made three starts since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha. His last start — May 17 against the St. Louis Cardinals — was stellar, as he didn’t allow a run and earned a quality start.
It didn’t take long for Kolek to surpass that performance. He threw a complete game against Seattle on Saturday, shutting out the Mariners 5-0.
“I thought I put myself in position to at least get a chance to do it,” Kolek said. “And I was going to be, like I said earlier, fighting Q (Royals manager Matt Quatraro) to get back out there, if he did try to take me out there. But, I was glad he let me go out willingly and very thankful. And I said a little prayer to God there to just kind of keep me focused and finish through that ninth there.”
It’s the second shutout of Kolek’s career and the first for the Royals since Brad Keller on Sept. 13, 2020 against Pittsburgh.
It was the fourth across Major League Baseball this season.
Kolek faced just two batters over the minimum. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out two. The strikeouts came in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
The Mariners didn’t have an answer for Kolek. He succeeding in pitching to contact, as evidenced by his 10 ground-ball outs. His ability to throw three different fastballs kept Seattle’s hitters guessing.
“You know, it’s a lot harder to cover three different fastballs than just one,” Royals catcher Carter Jensen said. “So it’s making sure that we use all of them.”
Kolek was efficient with the various pitches. His defense also helped him out, as the Royals turned two double plays and scored early to give him a comfortable lead.
“They made a lot of spectacular plays behind me and it’s fun to watch them do their thing,” Kolek said. “And on the offensive thing, you know, like these guys, they have been struggling a little bit lately. But you can see the at-bats getting a lot better. And I think that’s motivating as a pitcher.
“You see these guys working their butts off and you just want to go out there and provide what you can. So whenever they do scrap a run here and there, ultimately, they show for it.”
Kolek’s mastery gave the Royals (21-31) their first win of a nine-game homestand and snapped a four-game losing streak.
Kolek has pitched well since being acquired from the San Diego Padres last season. He has recorded eight quality starts in nine outings. His ERA with the Royals is 2.29 ERA.
“Eight out of nine quality starts, that’s impressive,” Quatraro said. “Now, teams are going to see him right. And now, there’s going to be that cat and mouse, just like there is with every pitcher that’s around for a while. But certainly, the stuff he has and the command he has, the fearlessness he has, he can do this.”
Kolek could get another turn in the starting rotation. Ragans was scheduled to pitch on Saturday night in a rehab start with the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Even if Ragans is tracking toward a return, there is still an available spot for Kolek, for now. His latest start indicates he could have the talent to stick around even longer.
“I’m happy for Kolek and I know how hard he works,” Jensen said. “So he deserves it.”
