Ventura fans 11 again, helps Royals thump Tigers

Though Yordano Ventura finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting last summer, his rather pedestrian strikeout numbers puzzled many who watched the Kansas City Royals right-hander routinely unload fastballs at 100 miles per hour.

In his second full season with the Royals, it appears the 24-year-old has refined his strikeout abilities.

"He was just staying within himself. He's pitching with that edge that he had all last year," manager Ned Yost told reporters. "Eleven more punchouts. Didn't get carried away with any big-pitch innings. Very efficient."

After fanning 11 over six shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles last week, Ventura enjoyed a comparably impressive encore in Wednesday's clash with the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Ventura recorded 11 strikeouts for a second straight outing, tying his previous career high while allowing just one run over seven solid innings in a 12-1 rout of his division's reigning champion.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Ventura's dominant outing also thrust him into some exclusive company, as he joined Bret Saberhagen and Kevin Appier as the only Royals starters to notch 11 or more strikeouts in consecutive outings.

"We feel like when he's on, he's our best guy," first baseman Eric Hosmer told Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.

Ventura lowered his ERA to 4.24 with a fifth straight quality start. He's cobbled together an impressive second half for Kansas City, which is 81-51 after Thursday's victory. Since the All-Star break, Ventura owns a 3.60 ERA over nine starts, posting 60 strikeouts in 55 innings over that span (9.82 per nine innings).