Angels lefties a study in contrast vs. Astros
ANAHEIM — Lefties Samuel Aldegheri and José Suarez both know how important pitching well down the stretch is for them heading into next season.
Aldegeri, acquired in the deal that sent closer Carlos Estévez to the Phillies at the Trade Deadline, made his third career start but struggled in the Angels’ 5-3 loss to the Astros in the series opener on Friday night at Angel Stadium.
Suarez, called up on Monday to pitch in long relief, excelled in the role for a second straight outing. He threw four scoreless frames after he hurled three scoreless innings against the Twins on Monday.
The two performances showed the importance of getting the ball over the plate. Only 26 of Aldegheri’s 53 pitches were strikes, while Suarez was in the zone on 40 of his 55 offerings.
“I wasn’t able to find the zone, so it of course made everything harder,” Aldegheri said. “It was just a bad day. That’s it.”
Each player is in a different part of his career. Aldegheri, 22, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the club’s No. 8 prospect and is trying to make an impact in his first taste of the big leagues. Suarez, 26, is a former top prospect attempting to pitch his way onto the roster next year after struggling early in the season.
Aldegheri, the first pitcher born and raised in Italy to reach the Majors, was coming off his first career win. He allowed one run over six innings against the Rangers on Sept. 6. But he had trouble against Houston, surrendering four runs on six hits and five walks over two-plus innings.
“I’m going to meet with the pitching coach tomorrow and talk about what didn’t work tonight,” Aldegheri said. “And make sure that I’m going to bounce back in my next outing.”
