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By Spencer Foridin / MLB.com The spotlight will be trained on the pitching rubber on Saturday in Kansas City, when two of the league's most prominent pitchers square off against each other. Boston's Josh Beckett will be making his first start since signing a lucrative four-year contract extension, while Kansas City's Zack Greinke will be pitching at home and vying for his first victory of the season. Beckett, who signed an extension worth $68 million earlier in the week, will be trying to rebound from a subpar season debut. The right-hander scuffled against the Yankees on Sunday night, allowing five earned runs over 4 2/3 innings. Beckett wound up with a no-decision in the season opener, and he has gone 5-0 with a 2.73 ERA against Kansas City for his career.
"I felt good," said Beckett of his Opening Night outing. "I had no physical issues at all. The atmosphere was great. I felt good. It just came down to making pitches when you need to, and time and time again, I couldn't do that. Unfortunately, that got me a high pitch count, and I was behind in the count. I had to give into some pretty good hitters, and they made me pay."
Greinke, the league's reigning Cy Young Award winner, could tell a similar story about his season debut. The 26-year-old pitched six innings and gave up six hits and two runs, although only one of them was earned. Greinke went 24 innings last year before he allowed his first earned run, and the Royals know they have to take advantage every time he takes the mound.
"He put us on the map," said Royals manager Trey Hillman, speaking about his ace starter. "He got our organization a lot of national attention because of what he individually had the ability to do. Now Zack's not really big into that, but he got people paying attention to the Kansas City Royals at least once every five days."
Red Sox: Beckett is the big dog
Beckett's contract isn't just big because it keeps him in Boston, it's big because of the repercussions to the team around him. The Red Sox now have Jon Lester, John Lackey and Beckett locked up through 2014, lending a bit of extra security. Beckett said that meant a lot to him, and he also didn't want his expiring contract to turn into a conversation piece.
"I think everybody in our clubhouse knows that there's nothing worse than people asking you questions about other people," he said. "And I didn't want my teammates to deal with that. And quite frankly, I didn't want to deal with it either."
Kevin Youkilis, Boston's cleanup hitter, recently offered up a teammate's perspective on the Beckett extension.
"It's a very good thing to see," said Youkilis. "You have three guys locked up for a while, three great pitchers that will be the three starters that will be here, and three that are at the top of the game. That's a good thing to have."
Royals: Embracing Greinke's status
As noted by Hillman's comments, the Royals don't shy away from all of Greinke's acclaim. Instead, they embrace it. Greinke, the team's first Cy Young Award winner in 15 years, occupies a place relatively unique in the culture of the game. Hillman verbalizes it pretty well, and he said the Royals are happy to have a homegrown star of Greinke's caliber.
"Anytime your team can get in the limelight and get noticed because of an individual's performance -- especially when it's an individual that doesn't care about being the centerpiece -- it makes everybody with the organization a little more proud," he said.
Hillman was also asked about Boston's patient approach at the plate and whether the Royals would do anything different to counter it. In his mind, if Kansas City pitchers are throwing strikes, it doesn't really matter if the other team is trying to work the count.
"It all depends on how you attack it," Hillman said. "If we attack it efficiently -- we're not going deep in counts and pitching to bat contact -- it shouldn't be. Put the ball in play and use the defense."
Worth noting
Rick Ankiel had a career-high four hits Friday night, including a double in the eighth inning that put the Royals ahead. ... David Ortiz was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a call on a checked swing. ... The Red Sox have a 72-36 record against American League Central teams since the onset of the 2007 season, which stands as the best record of any Major League team. Boston has won or tied the season series against Kansas City in eight of the past nine seasons. ... Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has been sidelined by a strained neck, will make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday. ... Greinke officially received his Cy Young Award trophy before Friday night's game. Prior Royals award winners Bret Saberhagen, David Cone and George Brett were on hand for the ceremony.
"I felt good," said Beckett of his Opening Night outing. "I had no physical issues at all. The atmosphere was great. I felt good. It just came down to making pitches when you need to, and time and time again, I couldn't do that. Unfortunately, that got me a high pitch count, and I was behind in the count. I had to give into some pretty good hitters, and they made me pay."
Greinke, the league's reigning Cy Young Award winner, could tell a similar story about his season debut. The 26-year-old pitched six innings and gave up six hits and two runs, although only one of them was earned. Greinke went 24 innings last year before he allowed his first earned run, and the Royals know they have to take advantage every time he takes the mound.
"He put us on the map," said Royals manager Trey Hillman, speaking about his ace starter. "He got our organization a lot of national attention because of what he individually had the ability to do. Now Zack's not really big into that, but he got people paying attention to the Kansas City Royals at least once every five days."
Red Sox: Beckett is the big dog
Beckett's contract isn't just big because it keeps him in Boston, it's big because of the repercussions to the team around him. The Red Sox now have Jon Lester, John Lackey and Beckett locked up through 2014, lending a bit of extra security. Beckett said that meant a lot to him, and he also didn't want his expiring contract to turn into a conversation piece.
"I think everybody in our clubhouse knows that there's nothing worse than people asking you questions about other people," he said. "And I didn't want my teammates to deal with that. And quite frankly, I didn't want to deal with it either."
Kevin Youkilis, Boston's cleanup hitter, recently offered up a teammate's perspective on the Beckett extension.
"It's a very good thing to see," said Youkilis. "You have three guys locked up for a while, three great pitchers that will be the three starters that will be here, and three that are at the top of the game. That's a good thing to have."
Royals: Embracing Greinke's status
As noted by Hillman's comments, the Royals don't shy away from all of Greinke's acclaim. Instead, they embrace it. Greinke, the team's first Cy Young Award winner in 15 years, occupies a place relatively unique in the culture of the game. Hillman verbalizes it pretty well, and he said the Royals are happy to have a homegrown star of Greinke's caliber.
"Anytime your team can get in the limelight and get noticed because of an individual's performance -- especially when it's an individual that doesn't care about being the centerpiece -- it makes everybody with the organization a little more proud," he said.
Hillman was also asked about Boston's patient approach at the plate and whether the Royals would do anything different to counter it. In his mind, if Kansas City pitchers are throwing strikes, it doesn't really matter if the other team is trying to work the count.
"It all depends on how you attack it," Hillman said. "If we attack it efficiently -- we're not going deep in counts and pitching to bat contact -- it shouldn't be. Put the ball in play and use the defense."
Worth noting
Rick Ankiel had a career-high four hits Friday night, including a double in the eighth inning that put the Royals ahead. ... David Ortiz was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a call on a checked swing. ... The Red Sox have a 72-36 record against American League Central teams since the onset of the 2007 season, which stands as the best record of any Major League team. Boston has won or tied the season series against Kansas City in eight of the past nine seasons. ... Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has been sidelined by a strained neck, will make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday. ... Greinke officially received his Cy Young Award trophy before Friday night's game. Prior Royals award winners Bret Saberhagen, David Cone and George Brett were on hand for the ceremony.
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