Smyly (1-0) notched three strikeouts over three scoreless innings in Monday's 9-0 Cactus League loss to the Rangers while surrendering just a hit and a walk.
Donning a Mariners uniform has agreed with Smyly so far, as he's now surrendered just Monday's hit and a pair of walks overall in his five innings on the mound. The Rangers rolled out a lineup that included Delino DeShields, Jr., Adrian Beltre and Joey Gallo on Monday, so Smyly's strong effort wasn't exactly a layup. Having excelled over his first two outings, the 27-year-old southpaw now heads to Miami on Thursday to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic in his capacity as designated pitcher, where he'll make one start at the most before returning to Mariners camp. In the interim, he leaves manager Scott Servais with a very positive early impression. "Drew was really, really sharp today. It was great to see. He got all of his pitches working, threw some good changeups. He had a really good curveball today. He had a lot of strikeouts with that pitch. He's been sharp both times out there."