ANAHEIM – There is Ron Washington the optimist and Ron Washington the realist and on Sunday morning, the realist won the debate.
Asked about Kenley Jansen’s rebound save on Saturday that came after a disastrous outing Friday, Washington had nothing but praise for his veteran.
“We’re talking about Kenley Jansen. Kenley Jansen has blown saves before,” Washington said. “He just wanted the ball again, and he came in, he got the same guys that beat up on him the night before.”
The offshoot of the turnaround from Friday to Saturday is that it could be a lesson in perseverance for young pitchers on the Angels’ staff. Jansen himself addressed that part of it.
“I just hope they learn from it,” Jansen said late Saturday. “I don’t care how good you are or whatever, anybody is gonna suck. It’s a long season, and you can’t let that affect your mind. Go back out there and battle, trust your stuff, believe in yourself, and we’ll get it done.”
On Friday, Jansen gave up six runs on six hits, with three of those home runs, while recording just two outs.
His seventh save of the season on Saturday came while recording outs on the only two batters he faced. The Detroit Tigers’ Riley Greene grounded out and Colt Keith lined out. Both players hit home runs off him Friday.
“You just stick with the process and keep doing your routine. Not letting that affect your mindset, and you’re good,” Jansen said.
It’s an approach that Washington finds impressive.
“That’s a mindset that you gather through experience and trial and error,” Washington said. “I wish that was something we had in a needle that we could just shoot in people. It doesn’t work like that.”
If it was so simple, the Angels might not have been sitting on a 5.12 ERA from their pitching staff that was near the bottom of all MLB teams. The team was tied for second most in home runs allowed at 47 and fourth from the bottom in opponents’ batting average (.268) and walks/hits per nine innings (.1.47).
And until the staff makes improvements in those areas, Washington the realist will continue to speak his mind.
“(Jansen) has been through that before (and) that’s why he was able to go out there and do what he did (Saturday),” Washington said. “Now, to think that a kid can watch that and all of a sudden he can do it? No. No. You’ve got to experience that. That’s the game of baseball. You’ve got to experience that.”
OUT OF SYNC
Taylor Ward entered Sunday’s game on an 0-for-26 slide, with one single over his previous nine games, when he was moved to the cleanup spot on April 23 after batting leadoff.
“We know the track record of Taylor Ward. As long as he’s playing, he’s gonna figure it out, so we just gotta wait for him to figure it out,” Washington said, tapping into his optimistic nature. “There’s no quick fix. Gotta stay in the process and work it out. And right now, he’s being challenged, and I think he’s gonna rise to the challenge.”
Ward, who hit six home runs over his first 22 games, was batting .172 with a .567 OPS, in numbers well below his career marks of .247 and .747, respectively.
DECISION TIME
Third baseman Yoan Moncada was in the lineup Sunday at Single-A Inland Empire as the designated hitter in what could be the last stage before his return to the major league roster.
Moncada, who is on a one-year, $5 million contract, has been on the injured list since April 10 with a bruised right thumb.
Washington said Moncada will be reevaluated after Sunday’s game and could be back for the three-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays that begins Tuesday.
In eight games to start the season, Moncada was 4-for-21 with four RBIs and eight strikeouts. The Angels have just one home run from the third base position so far this season and the combined .551 OPS at the spot is 23rd in baseball.
LONG TOSS
Shortstop Zach Neto continues to find his stride in his return from shoulder surgery with a .278 batting average, four home runs and eight total extra-base hits in 14 games before Sunday. He extended his hitting streak Sunday to a career-best 10 games with a first-inning single.
In the field, Neto has shown the range that has made him an electric defender. But when it comes to arm strength and throwing across the diamond, that part of the recovery appears to be a work in progress.
“That’s apprehension,” Washington said. “And I keep telling him, if he throws the ball, his arm is not going to go with it. But that’s something he has to work out in his mind. I’m saying he’s healthy. He’s healthy.
“… Right now, nobody is beating Neto’s arm and he’ll figure it out. He’s just come off a surgery. (It will) probably take a year.”
UP NEXT
After an off day Monday, Angels (LPH Tyler Anderson, 2-0, 2.67 ERA) vs. Blue Jays (TBD), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network, 830 AM
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Jansen rebounded from tough outing to earn save, Washington’s praise )
Also on site :
- Watch Ryan Reynolds Dodge Questions About Travis Kelce's Instagram Unfollow
- Powerful blast rocks residential building in Moscow
- I Took Magnesium Before Bed for 6 Months and It Completely Transformed My Sleep