MESA, Ariz. -- Right-hander Trevor Oaks, acquired from the Dodgers in the off-season and in the hunt for a back-of-the-rotation spot, admits he had some butterflies prior to his first Cactus League start on Sunday.
But Oaks came through just fine, tossing two scoreless innings in the Royals' 4-4 tie with the A's. He gave up one hit while walking one.
• Royals Spring Training:Info | Tickets | Schedule
"The first one's always kind of nerve-wracking because you haven't pitched in games in a while," Oaks said. "The game speed is a little different, especially with a new team. You know, you obviously want to impress the coaches and stuff.
:: Spring Training coverage presented by Camping World ::
"But I got some good advice from friends that said, 'Just be who you are. Don't try to do too much. They know exactly what they wanted when they traded for you, so just be who they traded for.'"
Royals manager Ned Yost liked what he saw from Oaks.
"He had really good movement on his pitches," Yost said.
Oaks gave his day a thumbs up as well.
"Fell underneath my slider a little bit so I wasn't too pleased with that, but there's a lot of time to work on it," Oaks said. "But fastball had decent command."
Mondesi starts hot
Like he did last spring, the switch-hitting Adalberto Mondesi is off to a quick start. Mondesi had two line-drive singles to left while hitting left-handed. He now is 3-for-4 after two games.

"That second one the other way was on a breaking ball, too," Yost noted.
First-base competition
Frank Schwindel, the Royals' George Brett Hitter of the Year in 2017, got the start at first base on Sunday and made one fine play when he snared a foul fly down the right-field line over his shoulder.
Tough chance
Left fielder Jorge Soler was hit with a three-base error on Saturday after dropping a fly ball near the wall in left-center at Surprise Stadium. Yost didn't seem overly concerned.

"He kind of just misjudged it a little," Yost said. "Just getting used to finding the track, dealing with the wind. All early camp stuff. I thought he looked good out there. The first ball hit to him he got there quickly, made a good turn, nice play."
Funky delivery
Left-hander Tim Hill and his sidearm delivery continue to impress early in camp as he battles for a bullpen spot. Hill threw a scoreless ninth on Saturday.
"Some funkiness to [that delivery]," Yost said. "Lot of action to that sinker/slider. Good velocity. Interesting guy for sure. That sinker, that ability to keep it down, makes it tough for righties, too."
Up next
The Royals will travel to Scottsdale, Ariz., to take on the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Monday at 2:05 p.m. CT. Left-hander Brian Flynn, who is out of options and trying to secure a spot in the bullpen, will get the start. Also expected to pitch are right-handers Sam Gaviglio, Scott Barlow, Brad Keller, Blaine Boyer, Glenn Sparkman.