Seeing Reds: Royals send noticeably tamer Ventura to mound vs. Cincinnati
Johnny Cueto had a wild side, too, when he was Yordano Ventura's age, earning a seven-game suspension for his role in a benches-clearing brawl nearly five years ago.
Since then, Cueto has become one of the game's top pitchers and the anchor of the Cincinnati Reds' staff who will command top dollar when he reaches free agency after the season.
Ventura, who turns 24 on June 3 and has made more headlines for his antics than for his pitching, opposes Cueto when the Kansas City Royals host the Reds on Tuesday night.
Cueto (3-3, 2.93 ERA) posted a 3.64 ERA as a 24-year-old in 2010, when he threw punches during a scuffle with St. Louis. He's posted a 2.52 ERA since that season while continuing to mature as a pitcher.
The right-hander gave up two runs and struck out nine in seven innings of the Reds' 4-3 win over San Francisco on Thursday, and he's pitched at least seven innings in seven of his eight starts.
Opponents are hitting .203 off Cueto as he looks to help the Reds (18-20) snap a three-game losing streak. He'll go up against Ventura, whose potential is being overshadowed by his temper and so-so performances.
Ventura (2-3, 5.36) was ejected for hitting Oakland's Brett Lawrie with a pitch April 18, and in his next start instigated a benches-clearing brawl with the Chicago White Sox that resulted in a seven-game suspension.
The right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.87 ERA in his last three outings after allowing five runs and 10 hits in seven innings of Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Texas. Ventura also has been dealing with a blister on his thumb.
"I see games like (Wednesday's), and you can see Ventura is on the brink from getting over the hump," manager Ned Yost said.
Ventura is part of a starting rotation that ranks in the bottom third of the majors with a 4.46 ERA, but former Red Edinson Volquez pitched seven solid innings in Sunday's 6-0 victory over the New York Yankees.
The Royals (24-14) have outscored opponents 25-9 while winning three of four. Salvador Perez homered Sunday and brings in a five-game hitting streak to face Cueto, with whom most of the Kansas City lineup is unfamiliar.
Only Omar Infante (3 for 11) and Alcides Escobar (2 for 6) have faced Cueto more than five times.
The Reds especially could use another solid effort from Cueto with starters posting a 17.18 ERA during the skid that began after Cueto's last start.
Cincinnati was better at the plate Sunday after manager Bryan Price shuffled his lineup, dropping Billy Hamilton from the leadoff spot to eighth and batting Jay Bruce seventh rather than fifth.
Bruce was hitting .162 before going 5 for 9 while homering in each of the last two against San Francisco.
"Honestly, I haven't felt bad all year. I felt super normal," Bruce said. "I've felt healthy. I've felt strong. It's just missing. I'm going to keep working and keep doing everything I've been doing all year and continue to try and get everything I can get."
These clubs haven't faced each other since the Royals took two of three in 2010, when Cueto earned Cincinnati's lone victory in the last six meetings in the series.
