March 18, 2017
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March 18, 2017 Page 1 of 11 Clips (March 18, 2017) March 18, 2017 Page 2 of 11 Today’s Clips Contents FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3) Angels can't hold off Rangers, 6-5 Angels pitchers have new post-start routine to help stave off injury FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 5) Angels Notes: Carlos Perez looks to rebound with new swing Alex Meyer sharp in Angels' loss to Rangers FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 7) Meyer solid, Fontana drives in 3 vs. Rangers Meyer happy with fastball command vs. Texas Yates hopes to ride new pitch to bullpen spot March 18, 2017 Page 3 of 11 FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES . Angels can't hold off Rangers, 6-5 By Pedro Moura The Angels scored early but not late and fell, 6-5, to a Texas Rangers split-squad Friday at Surprise Stadium. The Angels are 11-9 in Cactus League play this spring. AT THE PLATE: C.J. Cron cooled down from a torrid spring, going 0 for 5. Jefry Marte, his roster competition to split first base alongside Luis Valbuena, went one for three with a walk. … Sporting a low- powered lineup without many likely opening-day starters, the Angels produced 10 hits. Outfielder Eric Young Jr. and infielder Nolan Fontana had two hits apiece. Both are likely to begin the regular season with triple-A Salt Lake. ON THE MOUND: Left-hander Manny Banuelos relieved starter Alex Meyer and was ambushed by the Rangers. Joey Gallo began by slamming a first-pitch double, and ex-Dodger James Loney followed with a home run, also on the first pitch. Banuelos, a former top prospect ticketed for triple A, settled down and did not allow another run in his two innings. Before Friday, he had thrown 6 2/3 scoreless innings. … Right-handers Mike Morin and Keynan Middleton each fired a scoreless inning. Right-hander Austin Adams allowed three hits and three runs in his inning. EXTRA BASES: In a concurrent minor league game, right-hander Jesse Chavez permitted six hits and two runs in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three, walked one and threw 68 pitches, 42 for strikes. … Catcher Martin Maldonado threw out a runner trying to steal second base, which he has done successfully six of 10 times this spring. UP NEXT: Colorado Rockies, 1 p.m Saturday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. TV: FS West; Radio: 830. Angels pitchers have new post-start routine to help stave off injury By Pedro Moura On the second pitch Alex Meyer threw in his three-inning start Friday at Surprise Stadium, the Angels’ 27-year-old right-hander found himself looking down at his cleats during his reworked delivery. “That’s not what you’re supposed to do,” he told himself. The idea is to keep his eyes on the target the entire time. Arranging his massive, lanky frame the same way on every pitch is difficult enough, and errant eyes won’t help. “Other than that,” he said, “everything felt good, everything felt normal.” Meyer threw 51 pitches, mostly in control, like his last start, unlike the one before it. When he left the mound, he completed sprint exercises along the warning track, then returned to the visiting clubhouse, March 18, 2017 Page 4 of 11 where he completed the new, 20- to 25-minute recommended routine the Angels have given to all their starting pitchers this spring. “It’s different, that’s for sure,” Meyer said. “With the new training staff here, we’re trying to make some adjustments, and not repeat what’s happened for a few years, in regards to an injury standpoint. It’s different.” Asked about his pitchers’ post-start schedules, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia referenced new strength and conditioning coach Lee Fiocchi, hired over the off-season by General Manager Billy Eppler, who has brought on a new strength staff. But Scioscia insisted the changes were not related to the elbow injuries suffered by starters Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano last season. “Different guys bring in different ideas,” Scioscia said. “This is not a response to what happened to Richards or Heaney or anybody. The well-being of every player is important to us.” Meyer said the workout is “nothing crazy.” It involves stretching, strength exercises, and an increased overall focus on arm maintenance rather than the traditional distance running. When Meyer reached the majors in September after his August acquisition from Minnesota, the Angels asked him to do what he normally did after his starts and observed it. In time, he said, they showed him exercises they recommended he incorporate. “Now it’s more, ‘Here’s what we want you to do,’ which I’m obviously open to,” he said. “I needed to do something more proactive in regards to avoiding stuff.” Meyer has a history of shoulder injuries, which accompanied his downfall from top prospect status. Now competing for the fifth starter’s spot or the chance to be the first one called up in the event of an injury, health is paramount. “We’re learning as we go,” Meyer said. “We’re making some adjustments with the new strength coaches, a new system. Everybody here, we’re all learning, getting ready for the season. By the time the season rolls around, everything will be solidified more.” Starting switch Nonroster right-hander Yusmeiro Petit will start Saturday’s game against Colorado, Scioscia said, rather than right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who had been previously announced. Petit is slated to pitch five innings, up to 75 pitches. Nolasco will instead pitch in a minor league game, so he can accrue more innings — six — while allowing more relievers to pitch in the big league game. The Angels are still deciding whether right-hander Matt Shoemaker will start in a major or minor league game Sunday. Short hops March 18, 2017 Page 5 of 11 Scioscia said catcher Carlos Perez has changed the load in his swing to add power to his approach. The 25-year-old homered this week and has also tripled this spring. ……Scioscia said the Angels plan to deploy Jefry Marte in left field at some point in the next two weeks. He has previously played both first and third base, and did both Friday. With the club hoping to add to his versatility, Marte played left field for the first time last season and did not perform well. “What he’s lacking now is experience,” Scioscia said. FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER . Angels Notes: Carlos Perez looks to rebound with new swing By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER TEMPE, Ariz. — This time last year, Carlos Perez was poised to become an everyday catcher. Now, he’s fighting for playing time, with a reworked swing. Perez hit .209 with a .244 on-base percentage in 2016, a drop from his encouraging performance in 2015. As a result, he’s now bringing a leg kick into his swing to try to rediscover his timing. “He’s loading better,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “His path to the ball is better.” Perez has a homer and a triple in his last two Cactus League games, but he’s still hitting just .208 in the small sample of 24 at-bats in Arizona. “I feel great this year,” Perez said. “With a new mentality.” Last season was a difficult one mentally for Perez, who came in with such high expectations after he had hit .250 in 2015, including .333 in September. “At the end of ’15 he played well for us down the stretch,” Scioscia said. “He caught well and got some big hits for us. He’s not too far removed from that, but there are some things last year he struggled with.” Perez, who was the catcher on opening night, hit so poorly that he lost his job, and then in July he was briefly demoted to Triple-A. “Nobody wants to get sent down,” he said. “But I just tried to work hard and get back to the big leagues. I think I played pretty good when I was sent down.” Perez hit .359 in 10 games at Triple-A and returned to the majors. He finished the season mostly backing up Jett Bandy. Bandy was then traded over the winter for Martin Maldonado, who currently appears to be slightly ahead of him on the depth chart. MARTE’S ROLE Jefry Marte’s assimilation to left field depends, it seems, on his bat. March 18, 2017 Page 6 of 11 An infielder, Marte spent significant time in left field in 2016, as the Angels struggled to fill that spot and wanted to get his bat into the lineup. This spring, Marte has not yet played left in a game, although he’s worked out there a little, Scioscia said. When asked if Marte still could find himself playing left field regularly in the majors, Scioscia said: “It depends how much a young player’s bat comes.” In other words, if he hits well enough, it’s worth putting him at a position where he’s not a perfect fit if it gets him in the lineup. “What he’s lacking now is experience,” Scioscia said of Marte’s development in left field. “He runs well enough. He throws well. We think he’s got the ability to play left field, but you talk about experience, angles and routes. There’s a lot going on.” The Angels don’t need Marte in left this season, because they have both Cameron Maybin and Ben Revere. Both players are free agents at the end of the season, though, with no heir apparent.