Edinson Volquez offers workmanlike start as Royals crush Padres 11-3

When his final Cactus League tuneup was done, Edinson Volquez retired to the Royals’ clubhouse and found a chair at a table in an empty kitchen. As his teammates finished off an 11-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday afternoon, Volquez dined alone, washing down his start with a late lunch. The countdown to his next appearance — opening night at Kauffman Stadium — was ready to begin.

In his final appearance of the Cactus League, Volquez reminded why he will take the ball on Sunday night against the New York Mets. He completed five innings in a 11-3 victory over the Padres, allowing just two runs on a gusty day at Surprise Stadium. He passed the latest test in workmanlike fashion.

“Good command,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Good breaking ball. He’s ready to go.”

Volquez left after throwing 90 pitches, his highest total of the spring. He struck out four while issuing two walks. The performance was not without flaw. Volquez surrendered an RBI double to Melvin Upton in the fourth and an RBI single to Matt Kemp in the fifth. Yet the afternoon still seemed to serve its purpose.

“I’ll take that,” Volquez said. “Maybe a little bit better than that. Just a little bit.”

Two days earlier, Yost had announced that Volquez would start on opening day. At 7:37 Sunday night, he will take the mound against the Mets at Kauffman Stadium. Five months after starting the final game of the 2015 season in New York, Volquez will open the first as the Royals raise a World Series championship flag for the first time in three decades.

The night was expected to feature a rematch with right-hander Matt Harvey, who is scheduled to start for the Mets. But that prospect was suddenly in doubt on Monday, as the Mets announced that Harvey was batting a “a nonbaseball medical issue.”

Harvey was scratched from his final spring training start and will be re-evaluated later this week.

On Monday afternoon, Volquez said the opponent was of little import. For one day, he was focused on polishing his repertoire before the real thing begins on Sunday. His fastball sat at 94 mph and had good life, Yost said. His breaking ball appeared sharp.

A year ago, Volquez suffered through a miserable spring, posting a 6.33 ERA. This year, he appeared to find a groove from the beginning. He shaved his ERA down 3.95. He shook off a case of dead arm midway through camp. He emerged ready to go on opening day.

“I think I’m getting better in spring training,” Volquez said. “Better than last year, and the year before, and the year before.”

As Volquez kept the Padres in check, the Royals’ offense attacked Padres starter Drew Pomeranz with a vengeance. Left fielder Whit Merrifield led off the game with a homer. Mike Moustakas followed by stroking a single to left field. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain broke the game open with a booming homer to left. The Royals tacked on another three runs in the second inning and continued the bloodshed with a three-spot in the fourth.

Merrifield finished 3 for 4 with a homer and a double. Cain finished 2 for 2 with three RBIs. Moustakas raised his average to .340 this spring. The offense was enough for Volquez and a relay of relievers.

In the moments after the game, Volquez was his usual jovial self. In the days before camp, he said, he promised pitching coach Dave Eiland that he would be better this month. It was partly an inside joke. He was terrible last year, of course, but spring training stats do not matter, and they did not affect Volquez last season.

But in one sense, Volquez lived up to his word. His spring is now done. He can now focus on Sunday night at Kauffman Stadium.

“I haven’t pitched good in spring training for a long time,” Volquez said. “So it doesn’t matter for me. I just want to pitch good during the season. I just try to move forward for the first game.”

Mariners 6, Royals (split squad) 4

Starting pitcher Kris Medlen allowed four runs (two earned) in 4  1/3 innings in a loss to the Mariners in Peoria. Medlen struck out three batters and issued three walks while allowing homers to Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano. He exited after reaching his pitch count of 92 pitches. He said afterward that he battled some timing issues for stretches of the outing.

“The timing is just so important,” Medlen said. “Just where your arm is at and getting over your front leg and really driving pitches down. I felt like I’ve done that like half the time (this spring) and when I haven’t done that, I’ve given up some sweet homers to some hitters. So it’s been a little bit frustrating, but that’s part of spring training.”

Royals 11, Padres 3

E: Rodney (1), Upton Jr. (1), Olt (1). DP: San Diego 1, Kansas City 2. LOB: San Diego 7, Kansas City 6. 2B: Myers (5), Upton Jr. (7), W.Merrifield (3), Calixte (1), T.Cruz (2). HR: De.Norris (3), W.Merrifield (2), L.Cain (3), Coleman (2). SB: W.Merrifield (3).

HBP: by Vincent (T.Cruz), by Volquez (Pirela), by S.Selman (N.Vilter). WP: Pomeranz, Campos 2, Volquez. Umpires: Home, Bryan Fields; First, Bill Miller; Second, Todd Tichenor; Third, Ryan Blakney. Time: 2:55. Att: 4,554.

Mariners 6, Royals 4

E: H.Arteaga (1), A.Fukofuka (2), K.Seager (3), R.Ascanio (1). DP: Seattle 1. LOB: Kansas City 4, Seattle 11. 2B: F.Schwindel (2), Dan.Robertson (5). 3B: A.Escobar (2). HR: Cano (7), N.Cruz (4), B.Hebert (1). SB: A.Gordon (2). CS: Aoki (1). S: Fuentes, Orlando.

WP: Karns. Umpires: Home, Quinn Wolcott; First, Adrian Johnson; Third, Tom Woodring. Time: 2:28. Att: 6,097

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Edinson Volquez offers workmanlike start as Royals crush Padres 11-3."