CLEVELAND -- Royals left-hander Brian Flynn barely had time to say hello to his teammates before he made his debut on Friday night.
Flynn was recalled from Triple-A Omaha, a move that became official in the afternoon, and promptly threw four innings in a 7-1 loss to the Indians.
Royals manager Ned Yost said he needed bullpen help, and he wasn't kidding. Another short start, this one just four innings by Yordano Ventura, again taxed the bullpen.
But Flynn did his job, soaking up the next four innings, a nice pick-me-up for Yost on an otherwise grim night.
"That was huge for us because we'll have a full bullpen tomorrow with the exception of him," Yost said. "After that first inning, he was really good."
Flynn was nicked for two runs in the fifth inning, but then shut out the Indians over the next three. He gave up just three hits and struck out two.
Flynn said afterward he was happy to get his feet wet immediately.
"Yeah, absolutely, get that first one out of the way so you don't have to sit around and think about it," Flynn said. "Obviously it took a bit to get going, though. But once I started changing speeds, it went pretty well."
The Royals had optioned outfielder Terrance Gore on Wednesday and were searching for some depth for the bullpen. That Flynn was chosen over Omaha left-hander Brian Duensing was mildly surprising -- Duensing can opt out of his Minor League deal on May 15. But the Royals still have nine days to make a decision on Duensing, and by promoting Flynn, they did not have to jettison someone from the 40-man roster.
"That played a little part in it," Yost said, referring to the fact that Flynn is on the 40-man roster while Duensing and two other Omaha candidates, Peter Moylan and David Huff, are not.
"He's been throwing the ball really well," Yost said of Flynn, who had a 3.94 ERA at Omaha and nine walks in 16 innings. "Duensing has thrown it good, too.
"Flynn would have made the team in Spring Training, but being gone all last year [because of a lat injury], he needed to build up arm strength. And now he has."
Flynn said his arm and shoulder feel fine.
As for what his velocity was at Omaha, Flynn laughed and said, "I wish I knew. Those Minor League guns, sometimes they have you throwing 113 [mph], sometimes it's 85. You break off a curveball and it's 37. I just quit looking."