The 24-year-old delivered his first career quality start, and Kansas City's manager could barely contain his excitement.
Losing seasons still produce nights worth remembering, and the Royals got one from Luinder Avila on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old right-hander carried Kansas City to a 3-2 win over the Giants at Kauffman Stadium, working six and one-third innings with a career-high seven strikeouts in his tenth big league start.
It was his longest outing and his first career quality start, built on a sinker that averaged nearly 97 miles per hour and touched almost 99, the type of raw stuff that made the Venezuelan right-hander such an intriguing arm when he first reached the majors.
The Royals have now won four of five since the All-Star break, taking two straight one-run games from San Francisco with a sweep attempt coming Wednesday afternoon.
Quatraro Foresaw It
Manager Matt Quatraro has waited all season for Avila's raw arm talent to show up this way, and he did not hide his enthusiasm afterward.
"Right from the get-go, aggressive fastballs down in the zone, upper-90s velo with good sink, slider in the zone. I mean, it was exciting to watch," Quatraro said. "That's the high-end stuff that we know he has, and the ability to get in the zone, I know he's worked really hard between starts."
Avila threw 70 percent of his pitches for strikes and got ahead of 19 of the 25 hitters he faced, a level of efficiency that pushed his record to 5-3 on the year.
The young starter deflected the credit after the game.
"All the credit goes to the pitching coaches. They're always there working with me. I just try to execute whatever they say," Avila said.
The Young Core Keeps Producing
Catcher Carter Jensen supplied the power with a 416-foot solo homer, his 14th of the season, meaning Kansas City has now homered in five straight games.
Jensen has quickly become a fixture in these wins, including his first career walk-off.
Vinnie Pasquantino tied the game with a sixth-inning single that stretched his hitting streak to 16 games.
Nick Loftin followed with the go-ahead single against Giants starter Tyler Mahle, and Alex Lange closed out a clean ninth for his ninth save after a rough stretch in which his previous two outings each included a game-tying homer.
The surge fits what Lane Thomas said changed during the All-Star break.
Health Concerns
The night did have two worries though.
Rookie slugger Jac Caglianone exited after diving for a pop fly and is day to day with right shoulder soreness, a situation that adds urgency to the conversation about his long-term future.
Bobby Witt Jr. also sat out again with back tightness, meaning both one-run wins over San Francisco came without the star shortstop in the lineup.
The Royals face the Giants again early Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City, so every number here could move within hours.
