NewsBannister set to shoulder responsibility
Kansas City (20-18) vs. Cleveland (14-25), 7:10 p.m. CT
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
05/17/09 8:10 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- In his last start, Brian Bannister was sailing along with his fifth straight strong showing since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha. Then, in the sixth inning at Oakland, the caution light flashed and it was Bannister who had pushed the button.The pitcher's right shoulder was stiffening up, and he felt the only right thing was to tell pitching coach Bob McClure about it.
"As a professional, my job is to be out there every fifth day," Bannister said. "I know my body real well, and whenever I think something might be a little different, I always mention it. So I was just erring on the side of caution. It was a chilly night, and that sixth inning, it just didn't feel the same, so I just made a decision to tell Mac when he came out there."
With the A's having gone ahead 2-1 in the sixth, Bannister was relieved by Horacio Ramirez, who got the third out. In the seventh, Oakland got to the bullpen for five runs and handed Kansas City a 7-2 loss. Previously, Bannister had won three of four starts, but this time he opted for discretion over valor.
"I wasn't making pitches anymore, so I felt it was in the best interests of the team to put somebody out there that was going to make better pitches," Bannister said.
After work by the training staff and a successful bullpen session on Saturday, Bannister feels he's ready to go on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series with the Indians.
It's a T-Shirt Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium, with the first 20,000 fans receiving a shirt featuring Royals Hall of Famer George Brett and one of his most famous quotations.
Pitching matchupCLE: LHP Cliff Lee (2-5, 3.00 ERA)
Lee was impressive again in a win over the White Sox on Wednesday, and he got some significant run support for the first time in five starts. He pounded the strike zone and commanded his pitches, working out of bases-loaded jams in the sixth and seventh innings. In all, he allowed just six hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. Lee gave up just two runs on nine hits over eight innings against the Royals on April 22, but took the loss because of a lack of support. KC: RHP Brian Bannister (3-1, 1.80 ERA)
Bannister pitched effectively again, giving up two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings against the A's on Wednesday, but he took his first loss of the season. Bannister said he took his demotion to Triple-A Omaha at the beginning of the season as a chance to work on things. Whatever he did worked. He's been impressive in all five of his starts. He pitched six scoreless innings against the Indians on April 22 for his first win. Crown points
The Royals are 13-8 at Kauffman Stadium this season. ... Juan Cruz's victory on Sunday makes him 3-0 and gives him 11 straight victories since losing on June 9, 2007, when he was with the D-backs. ... John Buck is a long way from the Royals' record for triples by a catcher. He has three; Darrell Porter had eight while catching in 1979. ... Coco Crisp's 11 stolen bases include nine in the past 11 games. ... Ernest Smith, a civil rights leader from Excelsior Springs, Mo., was in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat on Sunday. ... Game times for two games have been changed. The June 20 game against the Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium has been switched from 6:10 p.m. CT to 3:10 p.m. The Aug. 1 game vs. the Rays was moved from 5:08 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. Both moves were made to accommodate FOX television. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Royals (Gil Meche, 2-4, 4.60) vs. Indians (Fausto Carmona, 2-4, 5.70), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Royals (Zack Greinke, 7-1, 0.60) vs. Indians (Anthony Reyes, 1-1, 6.88), 1:10 p.m. CT
• Friday: Royals (Kyle Davies, 2-2, 5.01) at Cardinals (TBD), 7:15 p.m. CT
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
