Sam McWilliams’ spring training debut with Royals a mixed bag
The six-run first inning, without the help of mainstays such as Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez, Whit Merrifield and Adalberto Mondesi set the tone for the Royals’ second straight Cactus League victory to start spring training.
Catcher Meibrys Viloria, who got called up from Single-A Wilmington to the majors in September of last season, hit a three-run first-inning home run and jack-of-all-trades infielder/outfielder Chris Owings hit a solo homer in the fifth inning of a 14-5 win over the Oakland Athletics in front of 4,273 at Hohokam Park.
Right-handed pitcher Sam McWilliams, acquired this winter through the Rule 5 Draft, had a up-and-down first outing with his new club. He finished the day having allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. He allowed just one hit in a scoreless first inning.
“(I was) maybe getting a little tired,” McWilliams said. “I think, honestly, it was just trying to improve on the first inning — trying to do even more when I should’ve just kept doing the same thing. But that’s what spring is for.”
Twice as nice: Samir Duenez and Bubba Starling entered the game as substitutions and collected two hits apiece. Duenez had an RBI double and scored twice.
Zimmer returns: McWilliams left the game with the bases loaded in the second. Kyle Zimmer, who did not pitch in 2018, took over out of the bullpen. Zimmer pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed one inherited runner to score.
Up next: The Royals will host the Colorado Rockies at 2:05 p.m. Monday at Surprise Stadium. The radio broadcast will be on KCSP (610 AM). Scott Barlow, Brian Flynn, Arnaldo Hernandez and Scott Blewett were scheduled to pitch as of Sunday morning.
This story was originally published February 24, 2019 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Sam McWilliams’ spring training debut with Royals a mixed bag."
