KANSAS CITY -- The final three innings of Daniel Lynch IV’s start on Friday night looked more like Daniel Lynch The Reliever: On the attack, quick outs and back in the dugout as fast as possible. In those three innings, he threw 27 pitches combined.
The problem was that it came on the heels of a 22-pitch first inning and 21-pitch second inning with five runs allowed in the Royals’ eventual 9-2 series-opening loss to the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.
“I didn’t feel like my stuff was that different,” Lynch said of the switch between the first two versus the last three innings of his start. “I just felt like maybe my attitude was different. Started [with] just a little more intent behind it. I felt like my body was moving slow, and I wasn’t really letting it rip like I usually do, especially in the first inning.”
It’s been about a month since Lynch took over a rotation spot for the Royals partly out of desperate need due to injuries and a lack of depth, and partly because the Royals wanted to give Lynch the opportunity to start again to see if he could be an option for them moving forward.
But it hasn’t been the smoothest return for the lefty, who has a 6.97 ERA in his six starts, with a season ERA that has inflated from 1.96 as a reliever (through Aug. 4) to 3.51 now. Part of the problem lately has been his first couple of innings; he’s allowed at least one run in the first inning in three of his last four starts, including a four-run first inning Friday. Lynch struggled with first-inning runs back when he was a starter from 2021-23 as well and owns an 8.37 ERA in the first inning for his career.
On Friday, Lynch hit the first batter with the first pitch he threw, a result, he thinks, from his longer rest period from warming up to going out to the mound. Starters during this week’s hot homestand have been finishing their warmups earlier to allow themselves to cool off before the first inning.
Then the Blue Jays ambushed Lynch with three consecutive singles, a fielder’s choice and Ernie Clement’s double to cap the four-run inning. Lynch said he felt a little slow during that first inning. After the second, his mindset shifted. The Royals were already in a hole at that point without much life offensively; their only runs came on Bobby Witt Jr.’s homer in the first and Vinnie Pasquantino’s homer in the ninth.
“The move forward is going to be figuring out how to fully let it rip there, from pitch one,” Lynch said. “I thought I did a really good job against Chicago and L.A. (his first two starts), where I was still kind of in that reliever mindset. So trying to stick with that and just put it together.”
The Royals knew there were going to be challenges when they made the move with Lynch back to the rotation, and there were some risks, too. He was so dominant as a reliever and seemed to have found his role on this team. But there was also an opportunity to see what he can do now as they begin to think ahead to 2027.
The reasons Lynch was so successful as a reliever included a streamlined delivery, a tick more velocity and a mentality that he can beat any batter who steps into the box.
The Royals were hoping all of that would translate over into the rotation. But you can play matchups a lot more with a reliever, while the opposing team can match its lineup better against starters. The mindset can be different, with starters thinking about how they need to go deep in games versus a one-inning, let-it-rip mentality from relievers.
“It’s not always that first inning,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I’d rather have him settle in and show himself that he can right the ship there, too.”
Lynch will keep getting chances as this month plays out, so there’s still time to finish strong. And he’s on a starter’s workload by now after finishing five innings and throwing 70 pitches Friday.
“You got 70 pitches, five innings under your belt,” Lynch said. “The, ‘Oh, it’s a new thing, building up,’ is kind of out the window for these next three or four, whatever it is. Just go out there and prove that I can do it, and then try to help the team win as many games as I can.”