Heaney f inds his groove — f inally
The pitcher, who has been struggling of late, gives up just two runs in a season-high seven innings.
Struggling pitcher gives up two runs in seven innings in victory.
ANGELS 3, MINNESOTA 2
MINNEAPOLIS — Andrew Heaney took a long pause and stared toward the distance.
Asked this week if his up-anddown 2021 season was feeling similar to his inconsistent campaigns in years past, the Angels starter wanted to think before answering.
“It feels a little bit similar,” he finally responded. “But in years past, I felt like I haven’t felt like I would go through such a downswing.”
A few nights later, Heaney finally snapped it in the Angels’ 3-2 win Thursday against the Minnesota Twins.
After giving up 19 runs in his previous 181⁄3 innings, Heaney surrendered just two runs in a seasonhigh seven-inning outing at Target Field — a long-sought return to form for the 30-year-old lefthander who will be a free agent this winter.
Unlike past outings, he didn’t squander at-bats when he got ahead, striking out seven batters and retiring the side on 13 or fewer pitches four times.
Unlike past outings, he prevented crooked numbers on the scoreboard, scattering only four hits, two walks and one hit-bypitch while giving up no home runs.
And, unlike past outings, he avoided a bad start with a scoreless first (he previously had a 7.88 ERA in the opening inning), and finished strong by retiring his final 11 batters.
“After the fifth inning, something kicked in,” Maddon said of Heaney, adding: “He just kept getting better. Not really complicated. I thought he got more aggressive with the fastball, had really good ride at home plate. And that’s what they were having a hard time with.”
Jack Mayfield had the winning hit in the game, a three-run homer in the fifth that erased an early two-run lead for the Twins (42-55).
The Angels (47-48) were clutch defensively as well. Justin Upton — in his return from the injured list — and Raisel Iglesias turned a relay play to throw out a runner at home in the second. Then in the eighth, Adam Eaton made two key plays in right field before the infield turned an inning-ending double-play.
Closer Raisel Iglesias also picked up his 20th save in a perfect ninth inning.
But Heaney’s rebound was perhaps the most important development, the pitcher delivering on his goal to snap out of a familiar midseason slump.
“This one is extremely nice, not only for us to get a win, [but] for me to get a win, for me to pitch better,” Heaney said. “It’s something I definitely want to build on and something for my confidence that, frankly, I needed to happen. It feels good all the way around. I want to keep that feeling and take it into my next start.”
Minasian talks deadline and injuries
Even with Thursday’s win, the Angels remained 10 games back in the American League West standings and more than six games out of the second wild-card spot after losing their three previous series.
So, had that recent slide changed general manager Perry Minasian’s thinking approaching the July 30 trade deadline?
“Not necessarily,” he said Thursday, speaking to reporters before the Angels opened a fourgame series against the Twins. “It’s just based upon opportunities. The further you drop back, obviously the harder it is to add shortterm pieces. As we sit here today, we’re still in the mix.”
Minasian said he’s hopeful the Angels can make a late-season push once they get Mike Trout (right calf strain) and Anthony Rendon (left hamstring strain) back from the injured list. Both players traveled with the Angels to Minnesota and are expected back within the next couple of weeks, though exact return dates have yet to be determined.
Detmers, Rodriguez promoted to triple A
The Angels promoted their top two pitching prospects, Reid Detmers and Chris Rodriguez, from double A to triple A on Thursday.
Detmers, last year’s first-round pick, had a 3.50 ERA in 12 starts this year while averaging more than 16 strikeouts per nine innings. Rodriguez, a 23-year-old righthander who started the season in the Angels bullpen before being sent to the minors to get stretched out as a starter, had a 4.26 ERA in five starts.