Warren ties career high with 11 K's -- but he's happy racking up grounders, too

NEW YORK – On days like these, when Will Warren’s stuff moves and his command is crisp, the Yankees’ right-hander has a choice to make. He can pitch to contact with his two-seamer, or he can go hunting for swings and misses.

So, Warren was asked after tying his career high with 11 strikeouts – does he consider himself a strikeout pitcher?

“I think of myself as both,” Warren said after the Yankees’ 13-4 victory over the Royals. “The sinker is going to generate a lot of ground balls. Teams that are aggressive, like them and the Angels, typically you’re going to get more strikeouts – especially mixing both fastballs in there and the offspeed.

“If I can go out there and throw three pitches and get three ground balls, I love that. You go deeper into the game.”

Warren had the luxury of selecting his lane, backed by a five-run third inning in an outing that became a breeze. He spun six scoreless frames before Carter Jensen touched him for a two-run homer in the seventh. By then, it didn’t matter.

“Even the Jensen homer, I could throw something in the dirt and see if he swings and misses,” Warren said, “but at the end of the day, it was 10-0. There’s no reason to walk anybody with a 10-run lead.”

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It marked the second time he’s struck out at least 10 without a walk, alongside a start vs. the Angels last June 17. Warren earned his second victory of the season, marking the second-longest outing of his career (he went 7 1/3 innings on May 9 last year vs. the Athletics).

“He spun the ball well,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But to me, what stood out was the four-seam and the changeup really playing well for him. He was efficient. It was good to see him take that lead and go run with it.”

Warren also helped keep the line moving, picking off Bobby Witt Jr. at first base in the fourth inning.

“I could see him out of the corner of my eye, hopping off,” Warren said. “I’ve been talking to [first baseman] Ben [Rice] about some stuff. We executed it, and we got him. So I was pretty pumped.”

Last year brought its share of turbulence, as Warren seemed to be learning in real time. That development is continuing, as he makes adjustments between each start, but the results have become much more consistent.

Even his last outing, in which Warren was chased in the fourth inning, seemed an outlier – he was done in by four unearned runs, thanks to a José Caballero error and a play that Paul Goldschmidt usually makes.

There were no such issues on Saturday, just smooth sailing and plenty of K’s.

“When he’s in the zone, he’s lights out,” catcher J.C. Escarra said. “It makes my job easy.”

Overall, Warren improved to 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA in five starts, having permitted two earned runs or fewer in each outing.

“In all his outings this year, what’s stood out to me is how much swing and miss he’s getting with his fastball,” Boone said. "He’s got a unique delivery and slot that allows that to play. He’s a better pitcher now than he was at the end of last year, and he keeps growing. He’s certainly proving that he’s capable of that.”