Clips (March 18, 2017)

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1 March 18, 2017 Page 1 of 11 Clips (March 18, 2017)

2 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

3 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 lowpowered 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,

4 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

5 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 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.

6 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. Marte also could play himself into regular time at third starting next season. Yunel Escobar is a free agent at the end of the season. Luis Valbuena, who is signed through 2018, can play first or third, although he s better at first. PITCHING PLANS Yusmeiro Petit will get a start for the Angels on Saturday, while Ricky Nolasco takes his turn in a minor league game. The Angels want to ensure that Nolasco can get five innings worth of work, and it s easier to do in the more controlled environment of a minor league game. Scioscia said it s likely all of the starters will take one turn in a minor league game, although it could be for their fifth turn. They are in the midst of the fourth turn through the rotation. Matt Shoemaker is still scheduled to make his fourth start, on Sunday, in a major league game. Tyler Skaggs is pitching on Monday in a minor league game, but it s an off day for the major league team. ALSO The Angels optioned right-hander Brooks Pounders. Pounders, who had been acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Royals in December, gave up five runs in six innings Scioscia said he d seen video of the World Baseball Classic outings for Deolis Guerra and Jose Alvarez and they are fine as far as their preparation for the season.

7 March 18, 2017 Page 7 of 11 Alex Meyer sharp in Angels' loss to Rangers BY JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER THE GAME: The Angels led by three runs after three innings, but relievers gave up five runs in a 6-5 loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday at Surprise (Ariz.) Stadium. PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander Alex Meyer gave up one run in three innings, and the runner who scored reached on an infield hit. Meyer struck out two and walked one. His fastball was consistently mph. I was definitely happy with the way today went, Meyer said. Command of my fastball was as good as it s been. I know it s a small sample size, but it s good to have that going for you. Meyer has allowed four runs in 7-2/3 innings, but three of them came in one outing in which he recorded just two outs.... Left-hander Manny Banuelos, who had not allowed a run in his first 6-2/3 innings this spring, gave up a two-run homer to left-handed hitter James Loney. Banuelos did not give up a run in his second and final inning.... Right-hander Austin Adams gave up a three-run homer.... Right-hander Keynan Middleton pitched a scoreless inning, with one strikeout, on a slider. He also gave up a hit and a walk. His fastball, which reached 100 mph last season, was mph. He was optioned after the game.... Right-hander Jesse Chavez gave up two runs, one earned, in 4-1/3 innings in a Triple-A game against the Chicago Cubs. Chavez threw 68 pitches. He was starting a minor league game instead of a major league game so the Angels could ensure he got into the fifth inning. HITTING REPORT: Catcher Martin Maldonado singled sharply and drew two walks, both perhaps signs that he is beginning to find his timing after a slow start. Maldonado is hitting.097 (3 for 31) with five walks.... Second baseman Nolan Fontana tripled and scored and drove in a run with a single. DEFENSE REPORT: Maldonado threw out a runner trying to steal second. He has thrown out six of 10 runners trying to steal this spring. Angels catchers have thrown out 14 of 26 overall.... Center fielder Eric Young Jr. made attempts at two tough catches, one diving and one leaping for a ball over his head, and came up with neither.... Left fielder Ben Revere couldn t make the play on a catchable foul popup.... Shortstop Cliff Pennington appeared to lose his grip on a ball as he tried to throw after fielding a grounder. UP NEXT: Angels (RHP Yusmeiro Petit) vs. Rockies (RHP Antonio Senzatela), Saturday, 1 p.m. PT, Tempe Diablo Stadium, Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM). FROM ANGELS.COM. Meyer solid, Fontana drives in 3 vs. Rangers By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rookie first baseman Ronald Guzman hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to lift the Rangers to a 6-5 victory over the Angels on Friday afternoon at Surprise Stadium.

8 March 18, 2017 Page 8 of 11 The home run was the first this spring for Guzman, who went opposite field and drove a pitch from Angels reliever Austin Adams over the wall in left-center field. "Once I hit it, I knew it was out," Guzman said. "That was the hardest ball I hit this spring." The Angels were led by rookie second baseman Nolan Fontana, who drove in three runs off an old teammate. Fontana, who was acquired off waivers from the Astros in November, had a two-run triple off of Rangers starter Mike Hauschild in the second inning and a run-scoring single in the third. Hauschild and Fontana were both drafted by the Astros in 2012 and were teammates for a number of years coming up through Houston's farm system. Both starters lasted three innings in their quest for the fifth spot in their rotations. Angels right-hander Alex Meyer allowed one run on four hits, a walk and two strikeouts. He has a 4.70 ERA after four outings, including the one start. He was pleased with his fastball command. "My command with my fastball was really good, as good as it's been," Meyer said. "I know it's a small sample size, but it's good to have that going for you." Hauschild, trying to make the Rangers' rotation as a Rule 5 draft pick, had a seven-inning scoreless streak come to an end when the Angels scored three runs off him in the second. Hauschild also allowed a run in the third before coming out of the game. He allowed nine of 18 batters faced to reach base on seven hits and two walks. "Very frustrating. I usually fill up the strike zone," Hauschild said. "It was frustrating, not throwing strikes, getting behind and having to throw a cookie." Joey Gallo and Ryan Rua had two hits for the Rangers and James Loney had a double and two-run home run. It was his first home run of the spring as well. Angels Up Next: Right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, who returned to Angels camp this week after pitching for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, will make his third Cactus League appearance Saturday against the Rockies at 1:10 p.m. PT at Tempe Diablo Stadium on MLB.TV. Petit, a non-roster invitee, is competing for a spot in the Angels' rotation or bullpen this spring. Right-hander Ricky Nolasco is also slated to start a Minor League game Saturday. Rangers Up Next: The Rangers have two games on Saturday with Yu Darvish pitching against the Reds at 3:05 p.m. CT in Goodyear. Darvish is down for five innings and pitches. Dillon Gee will start against the Indians at 2:05 p.m. CT in the second game of Big League Weekend in San Antonio.

9 March 18, 2017 Page 9 of 11 Meyer happy with fastball command vs. Texas Rotation candidate's heater was regularly in mph range By Maria Guardado / MLB.com SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Alex Meyer looked sharp in the Angels' 6-5 loss to the Rangers at Surprise Stadium on Friday, further proof that he has put his disastrous second Cactus League outing firmly behind him. Meyer yielded one run on four hits while walking one and striking out two over three innings in his fourth appearance of the spring, throwing 51 pitches. The 27-year-old right-hander's ERA now stands at 4.70, though it was inflated by his rocky outing against the Cubs on March 6, when he walked four and allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning. "I just wanted to go in and kind of build off the other day," said Meyer, whose fastball regularly hummed at mph. "Two outings ago was never how anybody plans on something going, so I wanted to go out there and prove to myself that obviously you're better than that. I was definitely happy with how today went. I thought my fastball command was really good." Meyer faced some trouble in the second inning, when he gave up back-to-back singles to Ryan Rua and Joey Gallo to open the inning. Gallo was subsequently caught stealing, but Meyer then walked James Loney and allowed an RBI double to A.J. Jimenez. Still, Meyer rebounded by retiring the following two batters to end the second and did not permit any additional damage in his final inning of work. "That was a tremendous outing for him," manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think as the game went on, his command of the breaking ball got better. But that was really good stuff he showed." Worth noting Right-hander Jesse Chavez allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits while walking one and striking out three over 4 1/3 innings in a Minor League start against the Cubs on Friday. Chavez, who likely will open the season as the Angels' fifth starter, threw 68 pitches in the outing. Left-hander Manny Banuelos saw his 6 2/3-inning scoreless streak end Friday when he gave up a tworun homer to James Loney in the fourth. Banuelos, who relieved Meyer, surrendered a leadoff double to Gallo before Loney crushed a first-pitch fastball to right field. The 26-year-old southpaw allowed two runs on four hits over two innings with two strikeouts. "I think after the first two hitters -- they ambushed him -- he settled in and made some pitches," Scioscia said. "The way he can spin the ball is important, but he's going to have to run that with some fastball command to be effective. But his stuff was good." The Angels optioned right-hander Brooks Pounders to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday, bringing the number of players in Major League camp to 52. Pounders, acquired from the Royals in an offseason trade, had recorded a 7.50 ERA over six innings this spring.

10 March 18, 2017 Page 10 of 11 Yates hopes to ride new pitch to bullpen spot Veteran righty's addition of splitter gives him three-pitch repertoire By Maria Guardado / MLB.com TEMPE, Ariz. -- Right-hander Kirby Yates has introduced a split-finger fastball to his repertoire this spring, a new weapon he hopes will help him win a spot in the Angels' bullpen. Yates, who was claimed off waivers from the Yankees in October, has relied primarily on his four-seam fastball and slider since breaking into the Majors in 2014, but he said he decided to expand his arsenal after struggling to consistently throw his slider over the plate the past two seasons. "The slider has been so hit and miss the last two years that I feel like I can't rely so heavily on the slider anymore," Yates said Friday. "I need something to back that up along with the fastball. If I have three pitches instead of two; I have a split-finger that I can go to when the slider is not there, or vice versa. It's just another weapon. Kind of another idea to throw around and give a hitter a different look." Yates said he's pleased with how his new pitch is coming along. "I wanted to work on it, and so far it's been pretty good," he said. "I feel like it's going to start turning into a weapon here pretty soon." The 29-year-old reliever has enjoyed a strong spring so far, posting a 1.50 ERA over six innings, with seven strikeouts. Yates didn't allow a run in his first five Cactus League appearances, though his scoreless streak was snapped Thursday when he surrendered a solo home run to Rafael Ynoa in the Angels' 8-7 win over the Rockies. With Huston Street injured, Cam Bedrosian and Andrew Bailey appear to be the only locks for the Angels' bullpen, leaving several openings for the club to fill this spring. Yates' performance in Cactus League play has put him squarely in the mix for a relief job, alongside Jose Alvarez, JC Ramirez, Mike Morin, Deolis Guerra, Yusmeiro Petit and Bud Norris. It's not an unfamiliar position for Yates. He earned a slot in the Yankees' bullpen out of Spring Training last year, but he recorded a 5.23 ERA over 41 1/3 innings in 2016 and bounced between Triple-A and the Majors. "I haven't really thought about it a whole lot," Yates said of the bullpen competition. "I'm kind of focused on myself. It's the third team in three years. I've kind of learned you just focus on yourself and get yourself right and whatever happens happens. You like to think that if you pitch well, you'll make the decision hard for them not to keep you on the team, so that's kind of the position you want to put yourself in." Yates, a native of the Hawaiian island of Kauai, said that he's also excited about playing on the West Coast for the first time after stints with the Yankees and Rays. Yates' family still resides in Kauai, but they will no longer have to crisscross the country to watch him pitch.

11 March 18, 2017 Page 11 of 11 "Me and my family were super, super excited for the chance to be here and a chance to pitch on the West Coast," Yates said. "They can actually make some sort of plan because it's only one flight. It's not two or three flights to get all the way to the East Coast from Hawaii."