ANAHEIM, Calif. — It’s that time for Matt Strahm.
Strahm will make his first career major league start for the Kansas City Royals on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels, something that most in the organization believe was only a matter of time.
The left-hander has been solely a reliever since breaking into the big leagues last season, and he has done well in that role. In 21 games last season, he went 2-2 with a 1.23 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, and he struck out 30 batters in 22 innings.
He’s 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 20 games this year, but Royals manager Ned Yost had to look at the bigger picture.