SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Ian Kennedy made his second Cactus League start on Friday, doubling the length of his previous outing and throwing four solid frames, replete with what he called an “Arizona-type” first inning that included a wind-aided homer accounting for two of the three runs against the right-hander.
“The goal is to get your pitches in and get the innings,” Kennedy said after the Royals' 8-3 win over the Reds at Surprise Stadium. “For me it’s a lot of up-downs. Getting up and down four times throughout the outing. I threw four complete, which was fine. I was happy with all the off-speed pitches I was throwing, behind in counts, and just progressively getting a little better.”
Kennedy is looking to secure a spot in the heart of the Royals rotation after missing more than two months with a strained left oblique in 2018. He went 3-9 with a 4.66 ERA in 22 starts.
“I was just trying to get in a good rhythm,” Kennedy said of his focus on Friday. “When you start feeling good with your rhythm and your mechanics and everything’s syncing up, that’s what I like to see -- little check-offs here.”
Kennedy earned the win, allowing three runs on five hits while walking none and striking out five.
“He threw the ball good,” manager Ned Yost said. “Conditions were tough. Wind was howling out at 17 mph. Couple fly balls that kind of got up in the jet stream. But besides that I thought he threw the ball good. Exactly four innings. Wanted to take him somewhere between 60 and 70 pitches, and we were right on the mark.”
Before the game, Yost addressed the possibility of Kennedy being used in the bullpen this season, essentially saying that with Danny Duffy and Homer Bailey still working up to full strength, he didn’t have the luxury of thinking about Kennedy in relief.
“I gotta get Duffy healthy, I gotta make sure Homer -- I gotta make sure my starting rotation has plenty of depth,” Yost said. “If we check all those boxes and we can look at Kennedy and say, ‘OK, he might fit in the ‘pen right here.’ Right now, we’re not checking those boxes. We’re going to continue to lengthen him out.”
Making a Major mark
Khalil Lee, the Royals' No. 2-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, got his first Cactus League start Friday, thanks to the pair of split-squad games. Hitting eighth and serving as the designated hitter against Cincinnati, Lee was 3-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, solidifying the good impression he’s made on the Royals.
“He had a great day,” Yost said. “That’s the beauty of split squads. You get to give some of these young kids an opportunity to come to the big league game and play. It’s no secret that we like Khalil Lee a lot, and today was a good reason why.”
Up next
On Saturday, the Royals turn to Jakob Junis as they travel to Salt River Fields for a 2:10 p.m. CT game against the D-backs and starter Luke Weaver.