McCullers dominates in 5 innings of Astros’ exhibition game.
McCullers sharp in final outing before starting against Mariners
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lance McCullers Jr. minces no words. Confidence is never absent. He dissects his outings with specificity in their immediate aftermath. McCullers realizes when he’s on a roll, be it in a spring training tuneup or a game that clinches the pennant.
McCullers found the fortitude to throw 24 consecutive curveballs against the New York Yankees and finish the 2017 American League Championship Series. He oozed conviction and was correct that New York could not touch his most trusted pitch.
No major league starter throws his curveball more than McCullers. It comprises 46.6 percent of his career pitch usage. Some know McCullers only for the one
pitch, one that secured a pennant and paved his way to a major league rotation.
Now that he resides there, McCullers is mired in the next step of a starter’s evolution. He has this one elite pitch but totes two others. He mixed them all Monday night, offering a tantalizing look at a well-rounded righthander raring to return for this long-awaited regular season.
“When you have a guy like that, you can throw any pitch in any count and make it tough on hitters,” Astros catcher Martin Maldonado said.
In his final summer camp outing, McCullers threw five fabulous innings at Kauffman Stadium in a 6-3 Astros win over the Royals. The curveball created its usual havoc but did not dominate his arsenal. McCullers’ changeup was wonderful, especially his first time through the Kansas City order.
His two-seam fastball tailed and ran, reaching nearly 97 mph in the first inning. McCullers’ fastball command on the outer half to righthanded hitters was precise. He went on the inner half to lefties, too. Fortyseven of McCullers’ 76 pitches were strikes.
“His breaking ball was sharper and more in the zone than it had been,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “He was sharp. He and Maldonado worked well together, and I don’t think he shook him off but a couple times. He was real good. I think he was very pleased.”
Of his 76 pitches, McCullers mixed 26 two-seamers, 23 curveballs and 18 changeups, according to Statcast. Kansas City swung and missed 14 times. Five were against the changeup. Four more were against the hard curveball.
He did not walk a batter and yielded only one really well-struck ball in play — Ryan McBroom’s third-inning single that departed the bat at 108.2 mph. The base hit stopped a streak of seven straight retired Royals to start the game.
“It wasn’t just an exhibition game for me,” said McCullers, who missed all of last season because of Tommy John surgery and is scheduled to start Saturday against the Mariners. “I was really happy to be able to come here today. Took a little bit of a gamble knowing that it may rain, but it was one we felt was worth taking because I wanted to get some real game action in. I’m very grateful to get to this point.”
McCullers struck out six. Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler, hitting third and fourth, punched out two times apiece against him. Four Royals reached against him — and one was extinguished by a 5-4-3 double play.
McCullers lamented just three pitches, a cluster to veteran catcher Salvador Perez. Brimming with confidence after two consecutive strikeouts, McCullers got “too cute” with two changeups. He went for a third. Perez parked it in the first row of left-field seats. It was McCullers’ lone blemish.
“I was happy with my ability to mix pitches,” he said. “Maldy (did) a really good job back there of staying on me and making sure I stayed with all my weapons.”
Much of Monday night was a portrait of the past four seasons. Houston’s long lineup mauled Kansas City southpaw Mike Montgomery for five runs in 3⅔ innings. George Springer reached thrice. Alex Bregman belted the first pitch he saw for a run-scoring double. Baker removed his regulars after just five innings, part of a prescribed plan. Damage was already done.
The bottom third of Houston’s order provided most of the punch. It made the Royals rue a mental mistake in the fourth. Third baseman Maikel Franco threw away Yuli Gurriel’s one-out grounder, allowing the inning to continue.
Josh Reddick and Maldonado each followed with two-run homers. Reddick’s landed in the Royals’ rightfield bullpen. Maldonado’s was massacred, a long towering shot that landed on the second deck of empty seats in left field. It offered ample support for McCullers.
“We treated this start like a regular-season start, so we were just trying to mix every pitch in every count,” Maldonado said. “I think he’s where he needs to be for the season to start.”
In the fourth, McCullers’ struck out Soler with a wicked two-seamer. It started in and tailed over the middle of home plate. Soler swung through with no chance. McCullers strutted around the mound, cognizant he was in complete control. Silence enveloped the ballpark, so McCullers made sure to mumble his thought.
“That’s nasty,” he mouthed.