NewsHalos good measuring stick for Davies
Kansas City (51-85) vs. Los Angeles (81-54), 1:10 p.m. CT
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
09/06/09 6:13 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- Royals right-hander Kyle Davies gets his shot at the first-place Angels in Monday's Labor Day matinee at Kauffman Stadium."I pitched against them at their place and I did pretty well, six innings and one run," Davies said. "Vlad [Guerrero] wasn't there so it'll be a little different this time, but it's pretty much the same club. You've got to keep those speedy guys off the bases and make sure that Vlad and Torii [Hunter] and those guys aren't hitting with people on base all the time."
Davies never has faced Guerrero but Hunter is .357 (5-for-14) against him with a homer and four RBIs, so there's a concern.
His previous appearance against the Angels came at Anaheim back on May 10 and, despite the good outing, he didn't get a victory. The bullpen gave it up, 4-3.
As he did last season, when he was 4-1 in September, Davies could be poised for another fast finish. He won both of his starts on the last trip at Seattle and at Oakland.
"The whole road trip was good," Davies said. "I pitched well twice. I want to continue to build on the stuff that we've been working on, which is to be able to repeat the adjustments I've made with staying back and being more consistent."
Davies, in fact, has been right at home on the road this year with a 3-3 record and 2.92 ERA. At Kauffman, unfortunately, he's 3-6 with a 9.12 ERA -- highest ERA in the Majors among pitchers with at least 10 home starts.
But in his past five starts, he's 3-1 (and the team is 4-1) with a 3.77 ERA. The only blemish was a loss to Minnesota in which he gave up six runs and that -- wouldn't you know -- was the only home game among the five. Even so, he's on something of a roll.
"I know there's going to a roadblock at some point because there always is. Even if you pitch well, sometimes they're going to hit it," Davies said. "I want to at least put myself in the best position I can."
He wandered off the path just a bit in his last start at Oakland, where he wound up throwing 99 pitches in six innings.
"There were a lot of pitches in the last inning; I think I threw 22 pitches. If that wouldn't have happened, I'd have pitched seven," he said. "I was rolling the first three or four innings. I think I had 50-some pitches through four."
Manager Trey Hillman realizes that control is the key to Davies' success.
"Just pitch ahead in the count," Hillman said. "I've said it many times and I'll say it again, I think it's all predicated on whether he can locate his fastball, at least get it in the strike zone. He can usually go to his changeup but if he gets the ball out of his glove in the delivery at the proper time, he has a lot better chance of locating his fastball."
Lately, for the most part, he's been doing that.
Pitching matchupKC: RHP Kyle Davies (6-9, 5.71 ERA)
Davies won his second straight start on Tuesday night at Oakland and is 3-1 with a no-decision in his past five starts. Davies credits a new delivery in which he leans back more and gets the ball out of his glove faster, thereby improving his command. He went six innings against the A's and left with a 4-1 lead, having allowed just four hits and two walks against six strikeouts. He now has 26 whiffs in his past 28 2/3 innings. Earlier this season, Davies faced the Angels and took a no-decision in a 4-3 loss. Davies gave up just one run in six innings in that start. LAA: RHP Ervin Santana (7-7, 5.68 ERA)
Santana delivered his fifth consecutive quality start, holding the Mariners to one run across six innings on Tuesday night in Seattle. His fastball settled into the 90-92 mph range and he was tough when he needed to be, pitching out of a first-and-third jam with none out to keep the game even. He's still not the dominant pitcher of 2008 and might not be for the balance of the season, but he's solid. Santana won his only outing against the Royals this year and is 3-2 in six career starts with a 4.82 ERA. At Kauffman Stadium, he's 2-1 with a 4.21 ERA in four outings. Crown points
Hillman plans to have Zack Greinke take one or two extra days of rest before his next start. That leaves Thursday's starter against the Tigers unannounced, although Hillman says he has a pretty good idea who it'll be. Guesswork centers on veteran lefty Lenny DiNardo, who had a 10-5 record and 3.35 ERA this year for Triple-A Omaha. Hillman is already using Bruce Chen to sub for Brian Bannister and Robinson Tejeda for Gil Meche in the next rotation turn. ... Third baseman Mark Teahen celebrated his 28th birthday on Sunday. ... Sam Gould, 92, owner of Sam's Parking Lots at old Municipal Stadium and the original operator of the Kauffman Stadium lots, was in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat on Sunday. Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• FSKC-HD On radio
• KCSP 610 Up next
• Tuesday: Royals (Bruce Chen, 1-6, 5.24) vs. Tigers (Rick Porcello, 12-8, 4.18), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Royals (Robinson Tejeda, 1-1, 3.61) vs. Tigers (Justin Verlander, 16-7, 3.29), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Royals (TBD) vs. Tigers (Jarrod Washburn, 9-8, 3.55), 1:10 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.
