By MATT PIKE
Quality Stephen Kolek turned into Complete Game Stephen Kolek, going the distance in the Kansas City Royals 5-0 win over the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium, snapping their four-game losing streak.
Kolek has made nine starts for the Royals since they acquired him last summer at the Trade Deadline. Eight of those have been quality, but Saturday's topped the list with his efficiency. His first walk didn’t come until the seventh inning, which was erased quickly with a double play. He didn’t strike out a batter until the eighth inning, getting Dominic Canzone to chase a slider with a man on third base. Instead, Kolek relied on the defense behind him for quick outs.
Kolek was at 96 pitches when the eighth inning ended, but the Royals' bullpen didn’t stir until Kolek went out for the ninth inning.
Kansas City got the quick lead for Kolek in the first inning scoring three runs. After a double by Maikel Garcia, and a single by Bobby Witt Jr, a fielders choice scored Garcia, as Vinnie Pasquantino reached first safely, Witt Jr also reaching second safely on a throwing error by Cole Young. After a double steal, and a groundout by Salvador Perez, Witt Jr scored on a groundout by Carter Jensen, before Jac Caglianone singled in Pasquantino.
A sacrifice fly from Jensen added one more run in the third inning to extend the lead to 4-0, scoring Witt Jr. Then, in the sixth inning, Isaac Collins drove in the final run needed for the win with a single, bringing home Jensen for the 5-0 lead.
In the complete game win, Kolek improved to 3-0 on the season, giving up four hits and walking one while striking out two. At the plate, Witt Jr was 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Michael Massey was also 2-for-4 on the day, while Jensen was 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs.
Kansas City and Seattle close out their series tomorrow at Kauffman Stadium. Seth Lugo (1-4, 3.68 ERA, 51K's) takes the mound for the Royals against Bryan Woo (4-2, 3.51 ERA, 55K's) for the Mariners. First pitch is at 1:10pm, pregame at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.