22 Wade Davis, SP

Royals starter Wade Davis got plenty of run support on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. He didn't have the best of outings, but he did pick up a win.

Davis improved to 3-3, allowing four earned runs on nine hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. He threw 103 pitches and struck out two batters.

The Royals put up seven runs in the third inning to back him but he failed to go deep into the game. Davis has had trouble with that this season, but at least he snapped a three-game losing streak.

Davis makes his next start for the Royals Tuesday in Houston.

A couple of weeks back, my colleague, Scott White, had advised owners to give up on Wade Davis after a pair of poor starts. After thriving as a reliever last season with the Rays and getting off to a decent start in the Royals' rotation this year, I thought Davis deserved a longer trial, but I was wrong.

Since then, Davis has registered a quality start against the White Sox and another bad start vs. the Yankees. Davis' two other good starts -- and the ones in which he has recorded the most strikeouts -- were against the Twins and Braves. So what we have learned is that Davis can rack up Ks against lineups that are prone to striking out, but he hasn't been up to the task against lineups that are less inclined to strike out.

It could just be coincidence, but even if Davis' results haven't been matchup-driven, his overall stats don't suggest that he has improved as a starter since his earlier years with the Rays. With a 29 percent ownership rate, Davis may still be overowned, even with his RP-eligibility in points leagues.

Royals starting pitcher Wade Davis was rocked in Friday night's start against the Yankees, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings while striking out three. He gave up two. two-run homers in the start and has given up at least seven earned runs in two of his past three games.

Davis takes a 2-3 record and 5.86 ERA into a start against the Angels in Anaheim Wednesday.