ANAHEIM -- It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was the kind of outing that right-hander Jack Kochanowicz needed after struggling in consecutive starts.
The righty bounced back by going six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk in a 3-0 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday. Kochanowicz, though, couldn¡¯t get any support from the scuffling offense, as the Angels managed just two hits and have averaged just 2.3 runs per game over their past 11 contests.
¡°I thought he was real good,¡± manager Ron Washington said. ¡°His stuff was crisp tonight. He got a lot of ground balls and he had some traffic throughout the game, but he was able to pitch around it. That¡¯s who he is.¡±
After posting a 3.27 ERA over 11 innings through his first two starts, Kochanowicz fell into a rut and couldn¡¯t get out of the fifth inning against the Rangers on April 11 and again vs. the Astros last Thursday. He surrendered six runs in Houston and four more in Texas, giving him an unsightly 6.20 ERA heading into his start against the Pirates.
But he turned it around by again leaning heavily on his power sinker, generating eight outs on grounders, including getting double plays in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. It helped him escape several jams and aided him with his efficiency, as he threw just 81 pitches, and lowered his ERA to 5.47 through five starts.
¡°Definitely just felt I did a better job staying out of the middle of the zone,¡± Kochanowicz said. ¡°Mixing it up to keep them off the sinker. Really didn't really change the usages that much, just more quality pitches.¡±
Kochanowicz, however, allowed a run in the third when he gave up back-to-back singles to open the inning. He gave up the run on a sacrifice fly from Bryan Reynolds, but escaped further trouble, as shortstop Zach Neto made a smart play by throwing out Oneil Cruz as he tried to advance to third on a grounder.
Cruz, though, made up for it in the fifth, as Kochanowicz served up a solo homer on a first-pitch slider. It was a no-doubter, as it left the bat at 116.6 mph and went a projected 463 feet to dead center, per Statcast. It was the fifth homer surrendered by Kochanowicz this year, as it¡¯s something he¡¯ll need to improve, especially as a sinkerball pitcher.
¡°The more I think about it, I¡¯m not that mad about the location, more so the pitch selection,¡± Kochanowicz said. ¡°He didn't take very many good swings on the sinkers when I threw them where I like to throw them. So probably not the best pitch to throw there.¡±
Kochanowicz has also had trouble racking up strikeouts as well, as he struck out three and has only 13 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings this season. It¡¯s also something he needs to work on going forward, as his 11.4 percent strikeout rate is the third-lowest mark in the Majors.
¡°He doesn¡¯t strike out guys, but he did get the ball on the ground a lot tonight,¡± Washington said. ¡°His four-seamer was real crisp, and then as he pitched later in the game, the sinker started working.¡±
But he did give the Angels some much-needed innings against Pittsburgh after the club made a few roster moves before the game to bring up two fresh arms. Veteran right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. had his contract selected from Triple-A Salt Lake, while right-hander Victor Mederos was recalled from High-A Tri-City on the same day he was scheduled to start in the Minors. Right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks was optioned to Triple-A, while right-hander Ian Anderson was designated for assignment.
Edwards allowed a run in the ninth inning, but the Angels didn¡¯t need to lean on Mederos in long relief because Kochanowicz gave them enough innings.
¡°He allowed hard contact, but only gave up two runs over six innings,¡± Washington said. ¡°If he goes out there every time he takes the ball and he gives up two runs over six innings, I will take it.¡±
Kochanowicz takes pride in pitching deep into games and said his club¡¯s slumping offense didn¡¯t affect him during his outing because it¡¯s something out of his control. He also believes it¡¯s just a rut that they¡¯ll get out of soon.
¡°You can¡¯t bring that into the game plan,¡± Kochanowicz said. ¡°You always have to be the same out there. But we¡¯ll get beyond that. No worries.¡±