KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Edinson Volquez did not have his best stuff Monday night -- just don't tell that to the Twins.
After the Royals dispatched Minnesota 7-1, Volquez stood at his locker, with ice draping his right arm, and talked about another masterful performance to start the season. This time, it was a seven-inning, one-run performance against the Twins.
"I don't think I had my best stuff today," Volquez said.
It didn't matter. Volquez rolled through Minnesota's lineup, striking out five and walking one. He allowed five hits -- one a bunt single -- and induced 11 groundball outs. He faced five batters over the minimum across his seven innings and didn't allow a runner to reach second after the second inning.
Volquez's stellar outing came after a heated weekend series against Oakland and on a day when the benches stayed occupied and the bullpens stayed busy. Normal circumstances returned to Kauffman Stadium and baseball once again took center stage.
"With all the stuff that went over the weekend, they're back to playing baseball because nobody's really messing with them right now," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "It was good."
So was Volquez.
In each start this season, Volquez has thrown at least seven innings. In each start, he has struck out at least five hitters. In each start, he has given up five or fewer hits and walked one batter.
Entering this year, Volquez had four games that met that criteria. He has done so in all three of his Kansas City starts. His ERA now sits comfortably at 1.99.
In his first nine seasons as a professional, Volquez never posted an ERA less than 4.00. But last year with Pittsburgh he shined, owning a 3.04 ERA and nearly reaching 200 innings. The Royals took a gamble on the 31-year-old and signed him to a two-year, $20 million contract.
Early on, the return on investment has been bountiful.
"We've been talking about it ever since we first got him," Yost said. "We feel like last year was a big year for him, that he really kind of turned the corner with his mechanics and his command. He's been nothing but great for us."
Added Volquez: "I think I carried everything good from last year to right now. That's the way I've been pitching, like I pitched last year, and I got good results."
The only trouble Volquez got caught in Monday came in the second inning, when he walked the leadoff man and then immediately allowed a single. First baseman Eric Hosmer's throwing error to second ushered Minnesota's first run home, but Volquez coaxed two more groundballs to escape the inning.
"He picked me up there in the early innings after the error," Hosmer said. "The inning could have gotten really ugly. He picked me up big time and put it in cruise control from then on out. He's been throwing the ball really, really well for us. ... The way he's throwing the ball for us has been tremendous."
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
