Jeremy Guthrie is back in the win column, and it’s been a long time coming.
Guthrie dominated the White Sox in a 2-1 victory Wednesday night as the Kansas City Royals won the final two games of the series at Chicago.
Guthrie pitched eight scoreless innings, allowed five hits, walked none and struck out six. He threw 74 strikes in 104 pitches.
“That arguably could be the best-pitched game we had all year,” manager Ned Yost said. “Hoch (Luke Hochevar) pitched a dandy against Tampa Bay, but this might have topped that.
“He was spot-on spectacular. He never really got into any spots where they really threatened.”
It was Guthrie’s first win since May 31, when he pitched for the Colorado Rockies against the Houston Astros. He was 0-9 in 13 appearances between victories. He was acquired in a July 20 trade that sent Jonathan Sanchez to Colorado.
Guthrie was 0-3 in his first three starts as a Royal, but in his past two starts have been quality. He’s given up three runs on 11 hits, no home runs, in 14 innings against the White Sox and Texas Rangers.
“He’s got progressively better with each start,” Yost said. “We knew when we made the trade that it would take him probably four or five starts to get straightened out.”