NewsIt's all about location for Davies' fastball
Kansas City (43-68) at Minnesota (54-57), 7:10 p.m. CT
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
08/09/09 6:03 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- With right-hander Kyle Davies, it always seems to come back to locating his fastball, and he believes he's making headway with that project."I've been working on getting the ball down in the zone a little bit," Davies said. "I pitched pretty well in Triple-A, the walks were down -- the last time I think I walked just one -- and that's been the biggest crush for me so far."
Davies will make his second start since his return from an eight-start stay with Omaha on Tuesday night at Minnesota. The first start, against Seattle, did not go well. He didn't get through the fourth inning, a downer after posting a 2.14 ERA and 4-2 record in the Pacific Coast League, where the control of his fastball improved.
"It's gotten better, but the thing is you've got to be consistent with it, and that's what we've been going for -- the consistency in fastball command and, obviously, being able to get the offspeed pitches over," he said.
"It's not a fact of throwing it for strikes, it's throwing it down in the zone for strikes and being able to throw the ball in and throw the ball out, instead of a center cut."
Davies limited his walks at Triple-A and had a good strikeout-to-walks ratio (44 to 14 in 46 1/3 innings).
"When he has trouble with his fastball command, it almost always has something to do with one part of his mechanics," Royals manager Trey Hillman said.
He has pitching coach Bob McClure tinkering with Davies' engine during bullpen sessions.
"It's just a matter of getting it to fire and Kyle being able to repeat his deliveries, just a matter of getting the ball out of the glove on time," Hillman said. "Sometimes it carries the ball back and he's too long in his delivery."
Pitching matchupKC: RHP Kyle Davies (3-8, 6.37 ERA)
After a long stint at Triple-A Omaha, Davies experienced a rough return to the Royals in his last start. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing a season-high eight runs on eight hits. He worked two scoreless innings but gave up two runs in the third and a six spot in the fourth. It had to be disappointing for Davies, who was 4-2 with a 2.14 ERA in eight starts with Omaha. He started the season in the Royals' rotation, but his season fell apart soon after throwing seven scoreless innings in his first start. This is his first outing against the Twins this year. In his career, he's 3-4 with a 4.46 ERA in seven starts against them. MIN: RHP Nick Blackburn (8-6, 3.79 ERA)
Blackburn took a big step in the right direction after starting out the second half with three subpar performances. He had given up 17 runs in his previous three starts, which spanned just more than 15 innings. But Thursday against the Indians, Blackburn regained his first-half form. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks. After a 38-pitch fourth inning, Blackburn appeared to be in trouble. But he gave up just one run and cruised until the seventh, where he gave up the deciding run. He will look to build upon that outing against the Royals on Tuesday. Blackburn is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three career starts against Kansas City. Crown points
Hillman gave third baseman Alex Gordon a break from the starting lineup on Sunday against Oakland, continuing to ease him into the full-time picture after having hip surgery. "I think he's probably got more general expected soreness and stiffness than he's willing to admit, but that's just kind of the way he's wired," Hillman said. Gordon is not likely to play more than two of the three games on Minnesota's artificial surface. ... Of the Royals' remaining 51 games, 31 are on the road. ... Class A Wilmington's 12-game victory streak was snapped, 9-0, by Potomac on Saturday. ... Lee's Summit, Mo., Police Sgt. Dale Jinkens was in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat on Sunday. Jinkens helped pull three persons to safety from "a wall of flames" after a traffic accident last year. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Royals (Brian Bannister, 7-8, 3.97) at Twins (Francisco Liriano 4-11, 5.63), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Royals (Gil Meche 4-9, 4.50) at Twins (TBD), 12:10 p.m. CT
• Friday: Royals (Zack Greinke, 11-7, 2.43) at Tigers (TBD), 6:05 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.
