Will Smith already had his Major League debut in 2012 with the Kansas City Royals. While it was memorable for the sake of earning the honor of making his big league dreams come true, he's hoping the second time around yields stronger results. He'll have a chance to show that on Thursday for the Royals against the Seattle Mariners for a team searching for any answer in the starting rotation.
Smith is 1-2 on the season with a 9.00 ERA in three total starts for KC earlier this season. If that doesn't sound inspiring, it wasn't for Smith either, who realizes that he's learned quite a bit since his last time in Kansas City. Allowing six home runs in 14 innings is not going to do the job, and Smith is ready to turn the corner.
"I learned a lot [at Omaha]," Smith said. "This time was a little bit easier. You walk into the clubhouse, you've played with these guys before, not just in Spring Training. It's good to see everybody. You feel better about walking into the clubhouse now. Now you know what you have to do to win when you go out there."
Smith is 4-4 with a 3.61 ERA for Omaha in 2012, but the good news is that he's on a roll. Smith has only allowed four earned runs in his last four starts, and he's pitching the best he has all season. The Royals could use a dose of that momentum to stop the bleeding for a team that's lost three in a row and eight of their last 10.
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