Soriano revs up 'bread-and-butter' sinker in sharp spring debut

PEORIA, Ariz. -- José Soriano established himself as a Major League starter in his first season in the Angels’ rotation a year ago.

The next step: expanding that role for the full season, a goal both Soriano and manager Ron Washington share.

“Looking for longevity, being able to extend himself,” Washington said earlier in camp.

Soriano, projected as the Angels’ No. 2 starter behind Yusei Kikuchi, took the first step with two scoreless innings in his Cactus League debut in the Halos' 2-1 win over the Padres on Tuesday afternoon at Peoria Sports Complex.

The right-hander used all his tools, including a pet sinker timed at 98 mph, and threw 24 pitches.

Soriano struck out Jason Heyward looking on a curveball after Manny Machado doubled with two outs in the first inning, then pitched around a walk and a two-base wild pitch when Martin Maldonado lined into a double play to end the second.

“To come out like that and have command of everything, and get after it. It’s kind of like what we are hoping to see as we move forward,” said bench coach Ray Montgomery, who managed the game in place of Washington (illness). “He’s mixing and matching, working on the secondary stuff. The bread-and-butter is the sinker. He has that whenever he wants it. And it’s 97, 98 [mph], boring in on the hands. Tough AB.”

After using the curve to get Heyward, Soriano worked on other secondary stuff in his second inning, including a split-fingered fastball. He threw that pitch about eight percent of the time last year, but he hopes to use it more.

“It’s a plan that I am going to have that pitch in the arsenal come this season,” Soriano said. “I’m working on it right now to make sure it is an effective pitch for me this season. I’ve been working a lot on my secondary pitches, just controlling the zone. To attack the strike zone a little bit better.”

Soriano has made it through two Tommy John surgeries, the second of which limited him to seven appearances in 2022, and the Angels chose not to press his return.

Three seasons later, it appears his time has come.

“We expect him to get us about 160 [innings] this time around, and then build up from that,” Washington said. “Then, he'll be a 200-inning guy, but that's all. I just want him to extend himself, and I think he would learn how to do that by knowing now how to use this stuff more consistently.”

Soriano, who was shut down with arm fatigue after a career-high 113 innings last season, is all in.

“Mucho,” he said, when asked how big it would be to reach 162 innings this season. “It gives me the satisfaction to be able to play that amount of games and to be able to be present for all the games in the season. It gives you a good sense of being able to help the team a lot.

“It’s something I’m aiming for. Little by little, I’m getting more comfortable, and to be able to get closer to that goal.”

It would be a natural progression. Soriano pitched 65 1/3 innings in two stops in 2023, making 38 relief appearances for the Angels after being promoted from Double-A Rocket City in June, his first taste of the Majors.

Promoted to the rotation after two relief appearances last season, Soriano made 20 starts. He was 6-7 with a 3.42 ERA, the lowest among any of the 18 starters, including openers, that the Angels employed.

Part of Soriano’s preparation for 2025, includes keeping an eye on his nutrition, he said.

“I’ve made a change in order to stay healthy,” Soriano said without getting specific, “because that’s my big goal. You see what happened last year. It’s been a big priority for me to be able to change my nutrition to make that happen. Just being a little more cautious with it, because I think it affected me during the season.”

Among Soriano’s goals is to control the strike zone, part of the reason he is working to hone his secondary stuff after averaging 3.8 walks per nine innings last season.

“Being able to control what I can control throughout the season, being able to throw strikes,” Soriano said, when asked about his expectations. “Right now, my main focus is not to be the best in the league. My goal is to be consistent and to be able to have that type of presence on the mound. To be able to stay healthy and be a help to my team.

“Not to let the game control me. To take it one pitch at a time and be able to have that consistency on the mound. I’m focused on that.”