Mike Matheny Praises Daniel Lynch Battling: ‘He’s Matured as a Pitcher'
On Tuesday evening, the Kansas City Royals were in St. Louis to square off in the first game of a two-game set against their in-state rivals. Just like much of the 2022 campaign this far for the Royals, the results were a mixed bag.
The Cardinals ended up taking game one of the series by a final score of 6-5, and Wednesday's outing got postponed until May 2. Kansas City is now on a three-game losing streak after beginning the year with a pair of wins, and all five of their highly-regarded young arms have disappointed. Daniel Lynch is one of them, and his Tuesday didn't go as planned.
May 13, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (52) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
In five innings of work, Lynch allowed nine hits and six earned runs. The Cardinals hit three home runs off him, including two in the first inning and then another in the bottom of the fourth. On one hand, Lynch flashed his ever-impressive "stuff" and struck out seven Cardinal hitters. When he was on, he was very sharp. That just wasn't often enough. After the game, Royals manager Mike Matheny was more positive than negative about Lynch's performance
"Way better than six runs," Matheny said of how he thought Lynch pitched. "He threw the ball really well. He had good stuff today. You could see he was getting the swing-and-miss when he needed to, they were having trouble picking him up and you could tell he had some deception. It really came down to two different two-strike pitches."
Matheny is right. Lynch generated 15 swings and misses on Tuesday by mixing up his pitch location. His fastball got chases when it was either high and away from righties or waist-high, but well inside. His changeup and slider were effective when they remained low. They didn't always do that, though, which is what got him into trouble. Two glaringly poor mistakes — a slider and a changeup, both left too high — were the major difference, as illustrated by Lynch's pitch chart:
Despite getting shelled a few times, Lynch kept battling back and delivering what were otherwise quality pitches. The high-end production wasn't an issue in the slightest, it just came with equally tragic mistakes that ultimately doomed his outing and left the Royals behind the eight ball all night. Matheny found a silver lining in Lynch's willingness to compete, citing it as a sign of maturity.
"It says a lot how he gave up runs and stood back up there and continued to make really good pitches," Matheny said. "Then, later on, he gives up a few more and his last inning is a 10-pitch inning. He's matured as a pitcher. How he's maintaining his emotions and how he just keeps making good pitches. Just a couple of mistakes got him today."
On the surface, Lynch's game against a potent Cardinals lineup didn't teach the Royals anything they didn't already know about him. His pure talent is among the best in the entire organization but with that said, he's inconsistent and struggles with his command. When going through his performance with a fine-toothed comb, though, it's easy to understand why Matheny saw more.
Last season's version of Lynch may have imploded after one home run, let alone two or three. He may not have been able to last five innings. He would have struggled to maintain any remnants of quality command. The 2022 version, on the other hand, fought back. He worked through a rough game and stopped the bleeding as needed. There's value in that, even if the end result wasn't what the team had hoped for. Matheny said it himself.
"If he keeps pitching like that, we're going to win a bunch of games with him."
Sep 4, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (52) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
