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

Jose Suarez gave Angels fans hope, Jacob DeGrom looked sharp in his debut, and Lewis Brinson looked good. Here’s your MLB spring training recap for March 1.

The Los Angeles Angels played two MLB spring training games Sunday, and in both of them, the biggest news was made on the mound. One game provided an emotional lift to rotation hopes shaken by developments in the training room. The other was a one-person disaster.

Winner: Jose Suarez, Los Angeles Angels pitcher

The injury reported Saturday to projected starter Griffin Canning created even more questions for the Angels’ already suspect rotation. In that context, Jose Suarez’s start in a split-squad game against the Rockies Sunday could not have been better timed.

Suarez, whose chances to make the team could only have been enhanced by Canning’s questionable status, stared down the Rockies through three full innings Sunday. In a 42-pitch outing, he allowed no hits and just one baserunner, a walk to the first batter he faced.

Loser: Neil Ramirez, Los Angeles Angels pitcher

Suarez had it a lot better than his spring teammate, Neil Ramirez. A six-year veteran of seven teams, Ramirez is in Angels camp hoping to make an impression as a non-roster invitee.

Sunday in the Angels other split-squad game against the White Sox, Ramirez made an impression alright, but not in the way he hoped.

Coming in to start the fourth inning of a scoreless tie, Ramirez retired the first batter he faced, and then went into destruct mode. Nomar Mazara walked, Yermin Mercedes doubled Mazara home, Nicky Delmonico doubled Mercedes home, Cheslor Cuthbert doubled Delmonico home, and Luis Gonzalez and Andrew Romine both walked to load the bases. Adam Engel and Nick Madrigal completed the nightmare with back-to-back run-producing base hits.

It was at that point that Angels manager Joe Maddon displayed mercy, ordering Ramirez’ removal to safer environs. The final damage amounted to eight earned runs on five hits and three walks.

Just to rub it in, the Angels deployed seven other pitchers Sunday, all of whom shut out the White Sox. The final score was Sox 8, Angels 7.

MLB Spring Training Recap: March 1

Winner: Lewis Brinson, Miami Marlins

Since coming to the Marlins as the bait that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee, Brinson has suffered through a pretty thorough roasting. Part of it has to do with how well Yelich has played, but Brinson also bears some responsibility, having as yet failed to hit .200 in two seasons with the Marlins.

One week of MLB spring training is obviously too soon to determine that Brinson’s game has turned a corner, but at least he’s begun to give Marlins fans hope. Facing the Mets on Sunday, Brinson delivered two more base hits, his fifth and sixth in 12 spring at-bats.

Entering the game in the seventh inning, Brinson tripled to right and eventually scored. He got a second cut in the eighth inning and delivered an infield single.

Winner: John Means, Baltimore Orioles pitcher

Means is a 27-year-old second-year pitcher who magically produced a 12-11 record and 3.60 ERA for the Orioles in 2019. Given Baltimore’s talent level, that’s a big accomplishment.

Facing the Phillies Sunday, Means stretched it out to three innings of hitless ball, fanning two and walking nobody. It was a marked improvement from his first spring start when he allowed two runs and got just four outs.

Winner: Break up the Pirates

After stumbling through their first seven spring games, the Pirates finally threw their offense into high gear Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Twenty-four hours after picking up that first spring win, 2-0 over Minnesota, Pittsburgh hitters won a pitching-optional spring game against the Toronto Blue Jays 13-9. Gregory Polanco, Lolo Sanchez, and Oneil Cruz all homered to highlight a 15-hit Pirate breakout.

The 15 hits were only two fewer than the Pirate offense had generated in the team’s last three spring games combined.

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.