ARLINGTON -- Skip Schumaker said he wants Jack Leiter to really learn how to pitch.
Not just throwing the ball, not just gripping it and ripping it. Really pitching.
“Pitching is not just throwing it by guys like he was able to do, probably his whole college career, and a little bit in the Minors,” the Rangers' manager said pregame. “[Nathan Eovaldi] has transitioned from that type of pitcher early in his career to like he pitches now. He knows how to pitch. He knows how to get guys out in different ways. It's not just ‘I have 98 and here comes,’ although he has the ability to do that. … That’s Jack’s next step.”
Leiter is well on his way to taking that next step.
On Sunday, Leiter tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Royals, carrying the Rangers to a 6-3 win to complete the three-game sweep. Texas scored four runs with two outs in the first inning, including two on an Ezequiel Duran triple.
“[Leiter’s] frustration was probably that he thought he should have at least completed six innings,” Schumaker said. “He felt so good. He was 98 to 99 miles an hour for most of the game. His chase rate was fantastic. Obviously, he had a bunch of strikeouts. I think he felt really, really good, and probably disappointed that he didn't get through six innings. But my goodness, did he pitch really, really well. The whole series, our pitching staff was excellent, but Jack was on fire today. It was fun to watch.”
Leiter’s two-out walk to Jac Caglianone on his 101st pitch ended his day in the sixth inning, but he still completed just his second and his longest scoreless start of the season. His 10 strikeouts matched a career high, but he did admit the frustration at not finishing the inning.
“It was just a frustrating way to end an otherwise great step in the right direction, an outing that I'm very happy with,” Leiter said. “I think this is a huge one to build off of. I think I made a lot of good pitches, trusted all of my different pitch types in different situations, different counts, throwing them in different spots. It just feeds into your confidence going forward.”
The Rangers have won three straight Leiter starts (also May 20 at Colorado and Tuesday against Houston) for just the second time in his career. He has received 18 runs of support in those three starts after Texas supplied him with only 15 runs of support in his first nine starts this season.
“It makes a huge difference, I think, just for the vibes alone,” Leiter said. “When the offense is going, it's a fun place to be in that dugout [and] the clubhouse. It's nice to see it show up for those guys. When you're out there on your start day and going up against another really good pitcher, and the offense is able to do what they did, it kind of loosens the tension, and you can pitch free and easy.”
Free and easy is one way to put it. Leiter held the Royals hitless until a Jac Caglianone single with two outs in the fourth inning. Only three runners reached scoring position against Leiter, who “imposed” his will on Kansas City, catcher Kyle Higashioka said.
For all the talk about Capital-P Pitching, Leiter overpowered the Royals with his fastball in the win. The four-seamer averaged 97.2 mph and touched as high as 98.9 mph.
The best part of Leiter’s day came in the fourth inning, after Bobby Witt Jr. reached base on a strikeout and wild pitch. Witt took third when Caglianone collected the first Royals hit of the game.
Leiter then locked in, pumping three straight four-seam fastballs to Isaac Collins for a three-pitch strikeout looking, later confirmed by ABS.
“I was actually talking to somebody in the dugout about it,” Royals infielder Michael Massey said. “He spins the ball really well. It’s kind of got, like, an accelerator feel to it when it gets halfway. It just feels like it picks up speed. And then he does a good job with the slider, throwing that down, too. Then the changeup, obviously. He kind of pulled the string both ways. He was getting ahead all day.”
It wasn’t a perfect day from Leiter, but he was able to limit walks and deep counts for the most part. It was the right step forward toward becoming a complete pitcher.
“This game is just a constant process of learning from experiences and getting better and figuring out new ways to be successful,” Higashioka said. “The whole league is constantly adapting to you, so you need to make sure that you're on top of things. He's doing a great job of that.”