Royals Report: 4 Things About Monday’s Return To Citi Field

3) Ned Yost Made A Good Move Pulling Ian Kennedy

I’ve freely criticized moves by Ned Yost on Kings of Kauffman numerous times both this season and last. So, it only seems fair for me to write about good decisions as well.

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On Monday, Yost pulled pitcher Ian Kennedy after only four innings in favor of pinch hitter Kendrys Morales with two runners on base and no outs in the KC Royals fifth inning. Down only by two runs, yanking his starting pitcher was a bit of an unconventional move, but I believe Yost made a wise choice.

As I showed above, Ian Kennedy has been very shaky on the road this season and had already given up two solo home runs. He was hardly dominating the game and the Mets possess the third best bullpen ERA in baseball. Mets long reliever Hansel Robles had struck out 6 in 3.2 innings before giving up two hits to open the fifth inning.

Allowing Ian Kennedy to hit would have gifted a wobbling pitcher a free out. By bringing in Kendrys Morales, Yost forced Mets skipper Terry Collins to dip into his bullpen and replace Robles with Erik Goeddel.

Morales blasted a deep drive to right that fell just short of a game-changing three-run dinger. Even though it didn’t work, Yost correctly perceived the texture of the game he was in and made a good move to improve his chances for a big inning.

Kudos, Ned Yost.

Next: No Late Game Magic For Royals