Kansas City Royals pitcher Jordan Lyles tossed his finest game of the season on Monday night in a 3-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Lyles allowed just three hits and no earned runs over six innings. The start lowered his ERA from 6.42 to 6.05.
However, a screen shot from the game broadcast showed Jordan Lyles in the Kansas City Royals' dugout with what appeared to be some kind of shiny substance on his forearm.
The topic wasn't broached during the postgame interview when Jordan Lyles spoke of his start and his changeup that helped him log four strikeouts.
Lyles kept the Tigers off-balance with the pitch as he nearly earned his second victory of the season. He said of the changeup:
"Just tinkering with it. In between starts, different grips, watching Edgertronic, seeing the ball come out of the hand and seeing what numbers show up analytics-wise. Finding the grip and mindset, conviction-wise, of being in a good spot with it."
Jordan Lyles is having the worst of his 13 MLB seasons in his first year with the Kansas City Royals.
He leads the majors with 11 losses, and his ERA reached as high as 7.30 in a 12-10 loss to the Washington Nationals on May 26. He told reporters that his performance on Monday came as a relief:
"I've had some bad innings get away from me this season. To put that to a halt and stop it right there, the backhand glove flip, really pretty, and obviously came up quick to keep the pitch count down. You love to see it as a pitcher."
Lyles has not put up Hall of Fame numbers in his career. Over 13 seasons with eight MLB teams, he is 67-101 with a 5.17 career ERA.
Rough season for Jordan Lyles, Kansas City Royals
It's been a difficult season for both Lyles and the Royals. Kansas City is currently battling the Oakland Athletics for the worst record in the major leagues.
Oakland, suffering through a turbulent season with a no-name roster, enter Tuesday's games at 25-71. Kansas City heads into Tuesday at 27-68.