Royals' Chen increases reliance on fastball, ends slump
Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost had a discussion with left-hander Bruce Chen about being more aggressive on the mound.
Chen was winless in his previous seven starts before Tuesday, and his fastball was sitting mostly in the 83-85 mph range.
In his previous start, Chen was staked to a 6-0 lead against the Indians, but he was knocked out in the third inning.
"His last three or four starts, he comes out and he hasn't established his fastball," Yost said. "All he's doing is throwing 82, 83, trying to get his control down, but he's got nothing to speed the bats up, so they sit soft."
Chen took heed of Yost's advice and pitched one of his better games of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He earned the win as the Royals topped the Chicago White Sox 5-2. One of the hits Chen allowed was Gordon Beckham's game-opening home run.
"Obviously, I'm trying to establish my fastball," Chen said. "I'm trying to keep the ball down, but also pitching in and cutting the ball in on the righties was a big plus for me."
Chen earned his first victory since June 28, when he beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City. In between victories, Chen was 0-3 with four no-decisions, and he permitted 32 earned runs in 33 innings.
It should not be a surprise that Chen ended his drought at U.S. Cellular Field, where he is 3-0 with a 1.34 ERA in his past five starts.
