Royals Report: 5 Things About Bounce-Back Vs. Tigers

5) Yordano Ventura Has Rallied After Meltdown

Yordano Ventura got blasted for his immaturity across the baseball world after his blowup against Orioles star Manny Machado. With rumors flying that the KC Royals had been shopping him to other teams, Ventura has dominated opponents in his last two starts.

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Yordano Ventura dominated the White Sox on last Sunday, allowing only one run in seven innings with 10 strikeouts. Ventura followed that strong outing by shutting out the Detroit Tigers over 6.1 innings with five strikeouts.

The two strong starts lowered Ventura’s 5.32 ERA to a much improved 4.54 ERA.

The fact is, Yordano Ventura is a weird guy. Last season, he was struggling and was actually optioned to Omaha before getting immediately recalled when Jason Vargos tore his UCL. After that threat, Ventura settled down to finish the 2015 season well-enough that Ned Yost chose him to open the playoffs against the Astros.

There’s a dominant pitcher in there, when he’s focused. When something upsets Yordano Ventura, he gets rocked. I guess the Kansas City Royals are hoping he grows into a guy that ALWAYS has his head right.

Perhaps the criticism humbled Ventura and made him determined to show everyone what kind of pitcher he can be.

Next: Detroit Manager Brad Ausmus