Royals tab Brooks for Saturday start vs. Toronto
Right-hander made his Major League debut earlier this month at The K
TORONTO -- Saturday's starting pitcher for the Royals is no longer a mystery. It'll be right-hander Aaron Brooks, who will be called up prior to the game from Triple-A Omaha.
This won't be Brooks' first rodeo. He got a rough initiation on May 3, courtesy of the Detroit Tigers. That's the night he made his Major League debut at Kauffman Stadium.
With the Royals trailing, 3-0, Brooks became the Royals' fifth pitcher of the game. He got through the eighth inning without a problem. He retired the first two hitters, Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter, before Austin Jackson doubled. Then, Brooks made Nick Castellanos his first strikeout victim.
However, the ninth inning proved to be a six-hit, six-run pounding. It culminated with Hunter belting a three-run homer in what became a 9-2 Tigers victory.
Brooks had better success with Omaha, going 4-1 with a 3.12 ERA in eight games. In 40 1/3 innings, he has 24 strikeouts and eight walks.
"He's been throwing good. He's a kid that's not afraid. Throws strikes, commands the ball. A simple decision," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That's who they recommended; we had a lot of people in there watching."
Brooks takes the spot left open when rookie Yordano Ventura experienced elbow problems in his last start and left a 9-2 loss to the Astros in the third inning. Yost decided to skip Ventura's scheduled Saturday start as a precaution.