The Kansas City Royals needed someone to come through -- anyone for that matter. The starting rotation has been absolutely abysmal and, at this point in the season, it seems as if the front office is throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. From trading disappointing starter Jon Sanchez for Jeremy Guthrie to going with long relievers or fringe prospects on the mound, the Royals have been desperate for a starter to come forward. Enter Will Smith.
Smith made his Major League debut earlier this season to subpar results at 1-2 overall with a 9.00 ERA. Yet after shaking jitters and regaining his command and confidence again in AAA Omaha, he's been much better on the mound the second time around. In fact, he delivered a very strong seven-inning performance last night against the dominant Los Angeles Angels line-up.
"Something just clicked," Smith said afterward. "Some nights are like that. You struggle through the first innings with fastball command, something clicks and it's there. The first three innings I had no fastball command, and after that it showed up, which was nice."
Smith allowed only two hits and one run in seven innings to show why he's earned a chance to start in the majors. Given his performance last night, he's bound to get several more attempts to stick. The Royals needed something and apparently Smith was more than ready to answer the call.
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