Barria, Mayers perform well in loss to Mariners
SEATTLE » The Angels got to look at a couple more possibilities for their pitching plans going forward on Saturday.
Jamie Barria pitched well in his return to the rotation and Mike Mayers didn’t allow a run in his return to the majors.
Barria gave up two runs, both on Ty France’s homer, in 4 2/3 innings of the Angels’ 2-1 loss to the Mariners in the first game of Saturday’s split doubleheader. Mayers worked the final 3 1/3 without allowing a run.
“Jamie did an unbelievable job, really did, first time out starting,” manager Phil Nevin said. “Made some great pitches. I’m sure when you talk to him he was going to want one back. He and Mike, I thought they did a fantastic job. We just didn’t score enough.”
Barria, who came to the majors as a starter in 2018 but has bounced between the rotation and bullpen since, earned another crack at starting based on his 2.55 ERA as a reliever this season. Saturday’s doubleheader finally provided the opportunity for his first start of the season. After his performance, Nevin said they’ll consider Barria to start going forward.
“I love what I saw,” Nevin said. “It’s definitely in the conversation. Mike threw the ball really well too. I really liked what I saw from Barria today.”
Barria actually took the mound in the first inning directly from the bullpen, which he said was to simulate his routine when coming out of the bullpen.
Both of the runs came on France’s homer in the third inning. Otherwise, he had little trouble until his pitch-count passed his previous high. He had hit 68 pitches once this season, and he picked up the second out of the fifth inning on his 67th pitch Saturday.
Barria then threw eight balls in his next nine pitches, including a wild pitch, to issue a pair of walks that loaded the bases.
Mayers, making his first appearance with the Angels since May, then got Carlos Santana on a popout to escape the jam. He tacked on three more scoreless innings.
Mayers was designated for assignment with a 5.40 ERA back in May. He went unclaimed and the Angels kept him in TripleA, having him start. He added a curveball and a changeup during his time starting at Triple-A. He said he threw both of them on Saturday, getting some whiffs with his changeup, even though the pitch-trackers misidentified the pitches as cutters.
“It’s good to be back,” Mayers said. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a little difficult mentally. It was definitely humbling to go through that process and not get claimed, especially after the last two years that I had. It was a humbling process. Definitely had to regroup. There’s a lot of people I had in my corner that really helped me get through it and figure it out down there. I’m very lucky to have them. This one is pretty sweet after the last two months.”
Trout swinging a bat
Mike Trout began swinging a bat on Saturday morning, another small step toward returning from the back ailment that has cost him nearly a month.
“Everything went well,” head athletic trainer Mike Frostad said of Trout’s session. “We’re going to go day to day and keep progressing. He’s got a progression that we’re going to try to map out and see if we can continue to increase a little bit every day.”
Trout has been out since July 12 with inflammation of his rib cage in his back. He had a cortisone injection during the All-Star break, and he had not swung a bat since before that.
Frostad said Trout has been running and throwing, so the only issue left is his swinging. He took swings without a ball on Saturday.
Roster moves
The Angels activated right-hander Oliver Ortega as the 27th man for the doubleheader and they added right-hander Mike Mayers to the roster.
They cleared a spot for Mayers by optioning right-hander Janson Junk, which means they’ll need someone else to take his next turn in the rotation on Wednesday in Oakland. It could be Mayers, who has been starting at Triple-A, or it could be right-hander Touki Toussaint.
The Angels cleared a 40-man roster spot for Mayers by placing right-hander Michael Lorenzen on the 60-day injured list. Lorenzen, who is out with a shoulder strain, is now eligible to return on Sept. 3. Frostad said Lorenzen is expected to throw off a mound sometime in the next week.
Notes
Infielder David Fletcher was not in the lineup for Game 1 of the doubleheader, but he was expected to play in Game 2. Fletcher bruised his foot when he was hit by a pitch on Thursday, and he’s also still working back to full strength after hip surgery. “He’s managing it and playing,” Frostad said. “I wouldn’t say it limits him too much, but we’ll just take that day by day.” The Angels brought up infielder Michael Stefanic from Triple-A and placed him on the taxi squad.