Call to the pen
Fansided

March 1: The ups and downs of Los Angeles Angels pitching

By Bill Felber

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Jose Suarez #54 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in action against the at Yankee Stadium on September 17, 2019 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Angels 8-0. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Jose Suarez #54 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in action against the at Yankee Stadium on September 17, 2019 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Angels 8-0. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

MLB Spring Training Recap: March 1

Winner: Jacob DeGrom, New York Mets pitcher

DeGrom still needs to stretch himself out, but he’s obviously right on track to start the season.

Facing the Washington Nationals Sunday in his first spring action, DeGrom breezed through three innings. The Natties touched him for just one hit, a second-inning single by Andrew Stevenson, and DeGrom struck out two.

Loser: Cody Anderson, Seattle Mariners pitcher

Anderson is a Cleveland reject trying to make the Mariners as a non-roster invitee. That task got a lot tougher Sunday.

Entering the game in the fourth inning of a scoreless tie between the Mariners and Chicago Cubs, Anderson was taken deep by the first batter he faced, Albert Almora. In the fifth, Javier Baez led off with another home run, then four singles and a double produced two more runs.

The damage would have been worse except that Mariners left fielder Jose Marmolejos bailed Anderson out, fielding Andy Weber’s single and nailing Daniel Descalso at home plate for the third out.

Loser: Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher

Gallen’s sprint debut last week went so well that some regression to the mean was inevitable. Still, did the fall have to be this quick and hard?

Against the Indians Sunday, Gallen took the mound hoping to build on a perfect first outing that encompassed two flawless innings. For two innings, things looked great. As with that first go-round, Gallen faced six batters and retired all six of them.

But in the third inning, Gallen’s perfect spring went horribly wrong. He walked the first batter on four pitches, hit the next, then served up some 0-2 cheese to a 19-year old named Brayan Rocchio. Rocchio may be on loan from minor league camp, but he knows what to do with cheese. His home run made it 3-0, earned him the Non-Roster Player of the Day award, and sent Cleveland on its way to a 10-6 win.

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