Avila's career night displays why the Royals are so high on their rookie starter

KANSAS CITY -- As Luinder Avila has settled into the Royals’ rotation during his rookie season, what he needs to do to succeed has always been clear: Trust your stuff in the zone, and good things will follow. We’ve written it here a number of times and tried to document all of the ways Avila is trying to stick to that approach.

Tuesday night against the Giants was more evidence of why the approach and mindset works.

In his 10th big league start, Avila tossed his first career quality start with a career-high 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs to go along with a career-high seven strikeouts in the Royals’ 3-2 win at Kauffman Stadium, clinching the series win and a winning homestand with Wednesday’s finale still to play.

Feeling fresh after extended rest after the All-Star break, Avila was featuring the type of stuff that has the Royals excited about his future with them, with a sinker that averages 96.8 mph but hit 98.9 mph at one point Tuesday. His four-seam fastball is just as powerful, averaging 96.5 mph and topping out at 98.6 mph. That kind of stuff is enticing as a reliever, which Avila has done before, but if he’s commanding it like he did Tuesday, there are going to be a lot of conversations about him as a starter next year and beyond.

“Right from the get-go, aggressive fastballs down in the zone, upper-90s velo with good sink, slider in the zone,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, it was exciting to watch. That’s the high-end stuff that we know he has, and the ability to get in the zone, I know he’s worked really hard between starts.”

The movement on Avila’s sinker was apparent from the start when one ran up and in to hit Heliot Ramos on the arm two pitches into the game, and Bryce Eldridge followed with a single. But Avila never let the inning get away from him, getting Casey Schmitt to pop out and watching second baseman Michael Massey and shortstop Tyler Tolbert -- subbing for Bobby Witt Jr., who is dealing with back tightness -- turn a double play.

The two turned another slick double play in the third after Avila issued his only walk of the night to Christian Koss, with Massey ranging, sliding and turning quickly for the throw and Tolbert firing to first for the out.

“They made those great plays, and I could get out of the inning because of it,” Avila said through interpreter Luis Perez. “I just sat back and enjoyed. It was a good time.”

Avila continued to be efficient, which has mostly been his biggest challenge this year. But he was pounding the zone all night, giving Quatraro no qualms about sending the right-hander back out for the seventh. Avila finished his start with a 70% strike percentage and threw 19 of 25 first-pitch strikes (76%).

“All the credit goes to the pitching coaches,” Avila said. “They’re always there working with me. I just try to execute whatever they say.”

The Giants looked uncomfortable against his fastballs, which allowed him to utilize his secondary pitches to get them even more off balance.

“It opens up a lot of stuff, for sure,” catcher Carter Jensen said. “... When you get off balance, 'B' swings we call them, not the healthy 'A' swings, you’re open to do a lot of stuff with it.”

Jensen gave his pitcher a slim lead with his Statcast-projected 416-foot home run in the third inning, but the Giants were able to tack on two runs in the fifth after Jac Caglianone couldn’t corral a pop fly that he dove for -- and left the game with right shoulder soreness because of -- and Tolbert made an error at shortstop.

Avila got out of that inning with another big strikeout, dropping in a curveball under Eldridge’s bat an inning after he had froze on a 96.8 mph fastball that was overturned for a strikeout. And the Royals responded yet again in the sixth, taking advantage of two hit batters and a walk with Vinnie Pasquantino’s game-tying single and Nick Loftin’s go-ahead base hit.

The Royals’ bullpen shut the door to close it out, giving Avila a well-deserved win -- and more confidence to build on in his young career.

“I think sometimes, especially when we have expectations as we did as a team this year, you forget that young guys, like, need a chance to grow and be who they are,” Pasquantino said. “And I think he didn’t really necessarily know his identity when he got here, other than he was trying to be awesome, which everyone is. I think he’s just growing into his own, and we’re seeing that happen.”