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Stephen Kolek's Consistency Has Become Critical for Shorthanded Royals
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- Stephen Kolek's Consistency Has Become Critical for Shorthanded Royals
(© Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
The Kansas City Royals have spent much of the past month searching for solutions to their pitching woes.
Cole Ragans remains sidelined. Kris Bubic suffered the well-known setback during rehab. Seth Lugo joined them on the injured list this weekend. Every few days, the conversation around Kansas City 's rotation seems to revolve around who isn't available.
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And then there is Stephen Kolek . The right-hander turned in another strong outing Sunday, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over the Houston Astros . By now, the performance almost felt familiar.
In fact, Royals manager Matt Quatraro admitted afterward that he feels like he's repeating himself every time Kolek takes the mound.
"You know, it's a lot of every time I feel like I'm saying something similar about him," Quatraro said postgame, via MLB.com . "He's ahead, he's using all of his pitches, he's very unpredictable, he's getting soft contact."
That consistency has become increasingly valuable for a team navigating mounting uncertainty elsewhere in the rotation.
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Kolek lowered his ERA to 2.68 and delivered Kansas City's first quality start in six games. The timing mattered. The Royals' bullpen had already been asked to cover 13 innings during the first two games of the series, and another abbreviated start would have only added to the strain.
Instead, Kolek gave the Royals exactly what they needed.
The outing wasn't built on overpowering stuff. It rarely is. What stood out was how little Houston was able to square him up. Quatraro pointed specifically to Kolek's ability to mix pitches and keep hitters uncomfortable during his postgame presser , adding that when his slider is at its best, it generates some "ugly swings."
Kolek saw something similar.
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"I finally felt like I was getting back to myself there," he said, via Drew Davison of MLB.com . "I filled up the zone with a lot of different pitches and located the fastballs well enough to challenge them in any count in any situation."
That approach allowed him to navigate traffic without letting the game speed up. Houston collected five hits, but none of them developed into a serious threat. Two Astros baserunners were erased by double plays. Cam Smith was picked off. Even when Kolek encountered trouble in the seventh and eighth innings, he found a way to keep the scoreboard clean.
The Royals supplied enough offense behind him. Maikel Garcia drove in three runs, Bobby Witt Jr. celebrated his 26th birthday with two hits and two stolen bases, and Kansas City matched its season high with four steals.
Still, Sunday's win felt like it started on the mound. The Royals remain in a difficult spot at 29-43, something Quatraro acknowledged afterward.
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"We've put ourselves in a tough spot, right?" said Quatraro, via MLB.com . "But every day is a new opportunity."
For one afternoon, that opportunity looked a lot like it has during most of Kolek's recent starts: efficient innings, quick outs and a rotation finding stability from an unexpected source.
