The Summer of Duff rolls along.
Tuesday’s latest victims, the Tigers were futile in their efforts. Overpowered by heat, flummoxed by offspeed, a lineup already decimated by injury stood little hope. Their fears were realized.
A complete game last time out, Duffy was good for eight this time around. Through the first four, he allowed only a leadoff double on a hanging slider in the third. With two outs in the fifth, Jarrod Saltalamacchia launched a home run to center. He walked Ian Kinsler in the sixth, but picked him off. This wasn’t the overpowering Duffy we saw in Tampa a few weeks ago. That was a special, special game. Instead this was 2016 vintage Nouveau Duffy. A base runner here or there was dealt with in haste, a gnat on the sleeve on the shirt of a man who doesn’t have time for nonsense. He’s here to get outs, damnit. And outs he shall get.
This game was as advertised. The brilliance of the starters shone through the first seven innings. Duffy not only matched Justin Verlander, he surpassed him. It was a marquee match-up and Duffy won the top billing.
This continues Duffy’s transformation to front of the rotation starter. Since joining the rotation, he owns a 2.68 ERA in 114 innings. He has a 9.6 SO/9 with a 1.7 BB/9 during that stretch. All of this is amazing. Here’s the most mind blowing stat of them all: It was the 10th consecutive start where he has pitched into the seventh or later.
Think about that for a moment. We are talking about a guy who was renowned for his tendency to nibble. For his inability to put hitters away once he jumped in front. It wasn’t out of the norm for Duffy to require 80 pitches to navigate four innings. The idea of him going deep into a game was as foreign as the thought of Michael Phelps dog paddling across the pool.
In just a short couple of months, Duffy has unbound the shackles of the narrative of his past. He has arrived. And it’s gnar.
Baseball is a helluva drug, man.
The Gnar Stuff
Duffy faced 27 batters and opened with first pitch strikes to 17 of them. His fastball averaged around 94 mph and set up his offspeed, per his usual. He only collected 11 swings and misses, but got four of them on his change.
He tired as the game progressed, but was still able to hit his spots.
Indeed, it was his command that was once again spectacular. We can’t overstate it: Duffy has the confidence to go along with the stuff. He has unlocked his inner pitcher. This is a wonderful development. The Summer Of Duff, indeed.
Once, Twice, Three Times Gone
Entering the seventh inning, the Royals had collected three hits against Justin Verlander. Had I saddled up to the window to place a wager ahead of this one, I would have probably bet on the three for hits collected by the offensively challenged Royals. Perhaps I would have collected. Perhaps I would have had to pay some of that back since those three hits were solo home runs.
Raul Mondesi in the third, a hanging slider for his first career home run. Alex Gordon in the fifth on a 3-1 belt-high slider. Eric Hosmer clobbered the last one in the sixth to dead center. It was the first time Verlander had ever allowed three home runs to left-handed batters in one game.
Kendrys Morales was feeling a bit left out, so he crushed his 20th of the season, also a solo shot, to right for an insurance run in the ninth.
The Royals tacked on three runs total when the Tigers bullpen entered the game. Death, taxes and the Tigers bullpen. I’m sure the citizens of Detroit have the same thought about all three of those items.
Up Next
The Royals go for the – dare I write it – sweep against the Tigers tomorrow night at 6:10. Yordano Ventura takes the mound against Anibal Sanchez.