Royals starter Danny Duffy stood on a damp mound at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday afternoon, a comfortable opening day lead on the Kauffman Stadium video board at his back.
He had cruised through the first three innings, facing 10 batters while only allowing a walk and a double. He had touched 93 mph on the radar, something he couldn’t do comfortably when he was pulled out of his final Cactus League start on Saturday because of tightness in his left shoulder.
But in a span of 32 pitches, Duffy lost the thread. White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia led off the fourth inning with a double — and it wasn’t until Garcia returned to the right-handed batter’s box later in the same inning that Duffy could regain any semblance of control again.