KC Royals: Yordano Ventura Gets Needed Wakeup Call
By David Hill
The KC Royals were counting on Yordano Ventura to be their ace this season. Instead, he has struggled virtually all year. Perhaps his fight with Manny Machado in yesterday’s game will be the wakeup call he needs.
During the beginning part of last year, it seemed as though the KC Royals were involved in a beanball war or a fight every week. Playing with a chip on their shoulder, the Royals were determined not to be taken lightly. In the process, they went from the darlings of the 2014 postseason to the Bad Boys of Baseball in the span of six months.
In the middle of everything was young starter Yordano Ventura. He was expected to be the Royals ace that year, to take that next step forward in his development and become the ace of their staff. Instead, he struggled, even being sent down to Omaha before being recalled before he even set foot in Nebraska due to Jason Vargas getting injured.
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Those struggles, and his brief demotion, appeared to light a fire under Ventura. In his final 11 outings, he had a 7-1 record with a 2.38 ERA, striking out 81 batters in 68 innings. This was the ace the Royals were expecting, the pitcher who could keep his emotions under control and use that fire to his advantage. An angered Ventura, with a chip on his shoulder and the cold glare from the mound, was exactly what the Royals needed.
To start this season, Ventura has once again struggled. He has posted a 4-4 record with a 5.32 ERA. Those dreams of Ventura being the new Royals ace appear to be gone once again, as he just has not harnessed his potential or his emotions.
Another sign of that happened last night against the Baltimore Orioles. Ventura had been hit hard to start the game, and managed to pitch into the fifth inning. There, with one out, he drilled shortstop Manny Machado in the back with a 99 MPH fastball. Machado charged the mound, punches were thrown but did not connect, and Ventura eventually tackled Machado before the two were pulled apart. Expect suspensions to be forthcoming.
As strange as it may seem, this could actually be a positive for the KC Royals. Ventura has not seemed to be himself this season, as though he has been trying too hard to remain calm. A fiery competitor, Ventura needs to have that edge to succeed. Perhaps in hitting Machado with that pitch, the spark has been reignited.
Obviously, the Royals, and everyone else, would have hoped that Ventura could find that fire in another way. Drilling Machado, sparking a benches clearing fight and facing a suspension are not the best way to turn a season around. And yet, in that moment, in showing that fire and anger, Ventura may have found his edge once again.
If that has indeed happened, this may also be the wakeup call that the Royals as a team need. They have now lost six in a row, dropping from first in the American League Central and looking like the team that had been sleepwalking through the first eight weeks of the year. Maybe this fight can ignite that spark, getting the Royals back on track as they look to defend their title.
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Yordano Ventura’s disappointing season took an ugly, and perhaps predictable, turn last night. However, it may be what he, and the KC Royals, needed to wake up.