"When pitcher Joakim Soria struggled, plenty of theories unfolded as to why. Now that he's locking down the ninth inning once again, there's a clearer consensus for his turnaround.

His control.

"I've been hitting my spots really good," Soria said, "and that's been a big key."

Soria recorded his 13th save Sunday in a 6-3 win, allowing a hit before inducing a game-ending double play. That came one night after he struck out the side for the save.

Soria lost the closer's job on May 30 after blowing his third save in a week. He regained the role on June 9 and has converted all six of his save opportunities since. In 12 innings since the demotion, Soria has allowed only four hits while striking out 12 and holding opponents scoreless.

"Soria knows the main goal for him is just trying to hit the spot," catcher Brayan Peña said. "When he misses, he misses on purpose because he has something in mind after that. For him, it's very important to try and set batters up. That's what he's been doing so far."

Soria's control betrayed him in May, when he struggled to locate his pitches and get ahead of hitters. After his demotion, he watched film from past seasons, when he was one of baseball's best closers, and didn't see much difference, except with his location.

But Peña said Soria has also limited the use of his cutter. Royals' pitching coach Bob McClure expressed concern with Soria's use of the cutter earlier this season because it can affect other pitches.

"That was one of the things he did," Peña said. "He saw that his fastball is good enough, 93 to 94 mile-per-hour fastball, and he went to his two-seamer at 91 miles per hour. His cutter, it is now probably his number-five pitch. It's not that important for him now.""