KANSAS CITY -- The state of the Royals’ rotation is such that a pitcher they are now counting on every fifth day was not in the organization at the beginning of June. They acquired Randy Dobnak from the Mariners for cash considerations on June 17 because the Royals so badly needed depth.
Two weeks later, Dobnak was in the Majors, and now he’s a full-time member of the rotation -- and he’s been one of their best pitchers in that stretch.
After tossing five scoreless innings in the Royals’ 4-3 loss to the Tigers on Thursday at Comerica Park, Dobnak has a 1.42 ERA in four appearances (two starts) with Kansas City over the past month. It’s a small sample, but his two starts have been what the Royals needed at the time.
“It’s been amazing,” said acting manager Paul Hoover, who is filling in as manager Matt Quatraro deals with a personal matter. “The depth has been hit, and coming in, giving us a chance every time out to stay in games and have a chance to win has been huge for us.”
Dobnak’s last Major League start before this past Saturday's outing against the Padres was on Sept. 3, 2021, with the Twins -- a gap that he did not even realize until his dad texted him that day to apologize for missing it. Dobnak has made plenty of starts in the Minor Leagues since that day, so it’s not like it’s been an extended absence from pitching. But any time he gets an opportunity, especially in the big leagues, he’s grateful for it.
“I’m just here to pitch,” Dobnak said. “If they want me to start, if they want me in long relief, at the end of the day, I’ll do whatever the team needs. I’ve done both over my career over the years. My mindset is any time I get the ball, just go out there and do my thing.”
Dobnak showed exactly the type of pitcher he is Thursday, attacking the zone to generate weak contact. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, so he needs the weak contact and good defense behind him to get into a rhythm, and he got that on several plays from his infield Thursday.
“It was kitchen sink at you pretty much every at-bat,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He disrupts timing, which is the essence of pitching. A little bit of old school: Disrupt timing, change speeds, change location, keep it off the barrel. He did all that."
Dobnak was at 76 pitches after five scoreless innings, so there was a case to be made to send him back out for the sixth. But the Royals did not want Dobnak to face a lefty-heavy Tigers lineup for a third time through, which is how they’ve approached all of his bulk outings.
Plus, they had just taken the lead on Isaac Collins’ two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning.
Matt Strahm got them through a scoreless sixth, but John Schreiber could not pitch himself out of a jam in the seventh, allowing two weak hits and then giving up a two-out, two-strike, three-run homer to No. 9 hitter James Outman for the Tigers to take the lead.
“That was probably the most frustrating game, for me, of the year,” Schreiber said. “ ... We’ve been playing some good baseball all week, and [put] us in a bad situation after that. It was good to see [Michael] Massey get us started there next inning and get us back in it, but I feel like I lost that one for us tonight.”
The Royals were able to tie it in the eighth, but Steven Cruz allowed the game-winning run in the bottom of the frame. Cruz has been deserving of more back-end innings based on how he’s pitched recently, and he’ll continue to get more opportunities -- particularly with the Royals fielding calls about their relievers, such as Schreiber and Strahm -- ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.
“Experience is the ultimate teacher, but he’s been throwing the ball well,” Hoover said. “He deserves to get a better look and some higher leverage. And he got that opportunity tonight. Tonight, he didn’t come through, but he’s built a lot of credibility amongst the group, and we’ll continue to lean on him.”
Thursday was a game the Royals have seen quite a bit this year: A shaky bullpen and several missed opportunities on offense, leaving 10 on base and going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
It left them wanting more, especially for their starter, and especially on a night when Dobnak did what he does best.
“He’s pitching great,” Massey said. “He’s executing great. We’re lucky to have him, for sure.”