los angeles angels not the same team seattle mariners faced in the first week of april
angels Will look to show how much they’ve improved on Saturday when the American League West rivals continue their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
Notably, Los Angeles has revamped a bullpen that struggled during the first two months of the season.
Five relievers who were on the opening day roster – Jimmy Hergett, Matt Moore, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Wantz and Jose Quezada – are not currently on the active roster, either on the injured list, in the minors or have been released.
angels Have opted to go with some young and inexperienced arms, calling up Ben Joyce, Sam Bachchan and Jose Soriano. But they are also counting on 32-year veteran Chris Devensky, who has playoff experience and was an All-Star in 2017 with the Houston Astros.
Devensky began the season at Triple-A Salt Lake before being called up on April 29. angelsThe best reliever other than closer Carlos Estevez, who improved to 17-for-17 in save opportunities after closing the door in Friday’s 5-4 win. mariners
Devensky grew up in Southern California, a angels Fan and attended nearby Cal State Fullerton. He is 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 16 relief appearances this season. He has 22 strikeouts and zero walks in 21 1/3 innings.
Devensky was also adept at extinguishing fires. He has trapped 17 of 20 inherited runners (85 percent), which is much better than the league average of 68 percent.
“I think you just go out there and make your pitches and focus on executing,” Devensky said. “Those are big situations. I love those situations. I feel that extra little boost of adrenaline so I can use that to my advantage.”
angels Manager Phil Nevin is comfortable with Devensky in those high-leverage situations
Nevin said, “He strikes and he understands the situation.” “He’s really smart, understanding positions where they can potentially hit a ball if he throws it in the right spot. He’s been there. He’s done that.”
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (3-5, 4.14 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season for Los Angeles. He is 0-3 with a 2.45 ERA in seven career starts against Seattle.
Seattle right-hander Brian Wu (0-1, 27.00) will make his second major league appearance on Saturday. In his only start of the season, Woo rocked six runs and seven hits over two innings against the Texas Rangers in a 16–6 loss on June 3.
Wu, who was called up from Double-A Arkansas to start in place of the injured Marco Gonzales, tried to focus on the positives despite the numbers.
“I was definitely settled in a short amount of time,” Wu said. “My fastball was coming out pretty well. Obviously, I was a little excited. My energy was a little high, so I tried to control it as best I could and took it pitch by pitch.”
– Field Level Media