Despite rough start, Lugo's case to start ASG still strong

BOSTON -- Royals manager Matt Quatraro lobbied for Seth Lugo to start for the American League during Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Texas.

Quatraro made the case for his righty to Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy, who will lead the AL squad, earlier this week while the Royals were playing in St. Louis.

“I called him and pushed as hard as I could to recommend Seth to start,” Quatraro said Saturday.

The first-time All-Star would be the first Royals pitcher since Bret Saberhagen in 1987 to start the Midsummer Classic.

“It certainly merits it with his accomplishments throughout the year,” Quatraro said. “I understand that there’s a lot of guys there that deserve it, and their managers are campaigning for them as well.”

But Bochy told Quatraro that naming a starter for the game would be a “tough decision.”

Lugo entered Saturday's start 11-3 with a Major League-leading 2.21 ERA. Unfortunately for the righty, the Red Sox weren’t fooled by his extensive pitching arsenal, attacking him early on for four runs off eight hits through the first three frames in an eventual 5-0 Royals loss at Fenway Park.

“It wasn’t a good one; I made a few mistakes out there, and I didn’t give the guys a chance to win,” said Lugo on his outing. “[The Red Sox] put up good approaches, and I couldn’t locate glove side, and I wasn’t getting inside well into the fourth or fifth inning. I think that’s when I started to find a little groove for myself. The first three innings, I couldn’t really locate breaking balls or fastballs glove side.”

Lugo added that as the game went on, he began to get comfortable but needed to rely on different pitches in his repertoire.

“Later in the game, I started going with a few more cutters, sweepers and sliders to try and get some glove side,” said Lugo. “Curveball, four-seam [fastball], sinker and changeup -- I couldn’t get them in the right places.”

In total, Lugo went five innings, allowing five earned runs off a season-high 10 hits, with one walk and six strikeouts.

Lugo threw 93 pitches in his outing, headlined by his four-seam fastball, which he threw 27 times and topped out at 95 mph while sitting around 90.2 mph throughout, managing just three whiffs in the process.

Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers tattooed a 3-2 curveball into the first row of the Green Monster in the bottom of the fifth inning, capping off Lugo's final start before the All-Star break.

“Everyone was really locked in from the very beginning,” said Devers. “We faced him before, we know he has good stuff. We were just locked in and doing what we had to do.”

Boston first baseman Dom Smith, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, spoke highly of Lugo following the Red Sox’s victory.

"Seth has been pitching really well. I think when you face these aces, you kind of have to have a team approach," said Smith. "One person is not going to be able to do it; you're gonna have to work them and grind them down. He's tough out there. He's not going to really give in. So you have to really just try to grind them down, and one person will be able to hit the mistake."

Quatraro echoed the same sentiment, complimenting the Red Sox on their offensive approach and attacking his ace.

“I think they had a good approach,” said Quatraro. “He threw the ball fine; they took the balls and swung at the strikes. Sometimes when you expand on him, even though it’s just a little bit, that’s when he gets the soft contact and the easy outs.”

In just his second season as a full-time starter, Lugo has made the case to start the All-Star Game following years of pitching out of the Mets bullpen. Despite his rough outing against the Red Sox on Saturday, Lugo still relishes the chance to possibly earn the start.

“That would be awesome,” said Lugo. “I think everybody in the league wants that, me included.”