TORONTO – Yordano Ventura’s year was always going to be a tale of two halves. But given what’s gone on in October, it might be time to start talking in thirds.
The 24-year-old fireballer, who will try to secure the Kansas City Royals’ second straight American League pennant when he gets the ball versus the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the ALCS on Friday, began the season tabbed as the team’s No. 1 hurler coming off a 14-10 rookie showing in 2014. But after getting wins in his first two starts of the year, Ventura went off the rails, registering just a single victory in 10 starts between April 18 and June 12. Things were so bad at that point that the Royals shipped him off to triple-A.
According to Kansas City manager Ned Yost, part of the problem might have been the sophomore’s mindset and the weighty expectations that come with anchoring a staff.
“He started the year off as the No. 1 starter, really tried to take the whole team on his shoulders, put too much pressure on himself [and] finally got to a point where we sent him down,” Yost said.
Ventura made two starts for triple-A Omaha and got another crack at the Royals rotation when lefty Jason Vargas was placed on the disabled list thanks to a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. Ventura returned to the Royals on July 9, registering a win thanks to five innings of work against the Tampa Bay Rays. And while he got knocked around in his next start versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, things really began to click after that. In his final 14 outings, Ventura went 9-1 with a 3.10 ERA and struck out 91 batters while issuing 33 walks.
The turnaround, no doubt, was cued by a few things, but Yost believes the influence of fellow pitchers Johnny Cueto—acquired by K.C. right around the time Ventura returned to the club—and veteran Edinson Volquez, who signed with the Royals last winter, cannot be overlooked.
“It was just time for him to get his confidence back,” Yost said of Ventura.
What the Royals would really benefit from is Ventura rediscovering his 2014 post-season form. If the regular season was all about two extremes, October has been an underwhelming middle ground. Ventura lasted just two innings in Game 1 versus the Houston Astros in the division series, failing to get a win in both that contest and Game 4, when he went five innings and gave up three runs in a game the Royals won 9-6 after one of their patented late-inning rallies.
Ventura also surrendered three runs in 5.1 innings of work versus the Jays in Game 2 of the ALCS, as Kansas City again staged a rousing comeback for a 6-3 win. Showings like that are a far cry from what Ventura demonstrated as an October freshman in 2014, when he never went less than six innings in his four starts and posted a 2.52 ERA. His signature performance came in Game 6 of the World Series, an outing that saw him twirl seven three-hit innings during a 10-0 shutout of the San Francisco Giants.
Of course, the Royals endured an agonizing 3-2 loss the next night in Game 7. If it gets the right version of Ventura on Friday, Kansas City could well get a chance to finish the job.