Yordano Ventura Looks Dominant in Royals 5-0 Victory

I think this kid may be good at baseball.

It only took Dayton Moore 7 1/2 years to produce a starting pitcher capable of sticking in the rotation all year (sorry Danny Duffy), but at least it was worth the wait. Yordano Ventura lived up to the recent hype he's been receiving by throwing absolute darts over eight innings in an easy 5-0 victory over Baltimore in the series opener. Ventura threw 113 pitches (75 for strikes) over eight shutout innings, allowing just seven singles and two walks, while striking out a career-high eight. He becomes the first Royals rookie to strike out at least six hitters in four consecutive starts since Dennis Leonard in 1975. I think Josh Duggan summed up how most of us felt tonight.

Honest question: Should I call a doctor if my erection hasn't gone down since Ventura started pitching tonight? #YordanoViagra

— Josh Duggan (@oldmanduggan) April 26, 2014

Typically, when James Shields puts on such a performance, the Royals reward him with zero runs and a no decision. They obviously like Yordano better. It was singles night at Camden Yards, with the Royals stringing together three straight singles following a Omar Infante walk to plate a pair of first inning runs.

That was all Yordano really needed, and the Royals hitters promptly went to sleep the next few innings, taking Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez off the hook. But in the seventh inning, a leadoff walk (those will kill you), followed by a terrific Jarod Dyson bunt would net two more runs as Nori Aoki and Omar Infante each drove in runs with RBI singles. It was a true singles parade, with the Royals collecting eleven hits on the night, and not a single one was an extra base hit until Billy Butler doubled home a run in the ninth. Ned Yost must have been in heaven.

Now watch this.

Its becoming a nightly occurence for Alcides and he has to be an early frontrunner to win his first ever Gold Glove.

Well it was a disappointing trip to Cleveland, but through all the dark clouds and rain in Baltimore, this was a fairly easy win to start the series off. The pitch count was a bit high tonight - which makes everyone a bit nervous. But what a treat to watch this young phenom pitch. Can Yordano Ventura Day be every day?