In his third stint with the Los Angeles Angels this season, Janson Junk provided the club with a solid outing that helped boost them to their first back-to-back wins since June 26-27.
The 26-year-old last appeared in a big league game on May 28 in a scoreless relief appearance against the Toronto Blue Jays, but because of some roster crunching, he has spent the majority of his time in Triple-A.
On Wednesday, Junk flashed some fantastic stuff against the Royals while inducing 11 whiffs, mainly on his fastball and slider. He used that two-pitch mix to stymie opposing hitters and only allowed four hits over five shutout innings while striking out eight.
Veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki guided Junk and the Angels staff to a 4-0 win over the Royals, via Robert Falkoff of MLB.com:
“Kurt and I had a good game plan going into it,” Junk said. “Overall, I thought it was a solid day. My two-seam slider gets ride and sweep and that can be a killing combo.”
Junk remains a solid piece for the Angels in spot duty because of his low service time and with three minor league options remaining, the club will utilize him accordingly. Angels manager Phil Nevin has struggled to find consistency in his starting staff and Junk could provide some solid innings when needed.
“I can’t say that yet, but it probably lines up that way,” Nevin said. “As of now, he probably deserves another one.”
Wednesday’s win secured a series victory for the Angels and is a nod to the development group and they hope Junk can string a few good outings together.
Nevin believes José Suarez has benefited from new pitch mix
The Angels bounced back from being shutout against the Royals by returning the favor in a 6-0 win at Kauffman Stadium. José Suarez turned in his best start of the season as he allowed only three hits in 5.1 scoreless innings.
Through his first 11 starts of the season, Suarez mostly relied on his four-seam fastball and changeup. However, in Tuesday’s matchup against the Royals, he primarily used his slider and sinker.
Suarez threw his slider 44% of the time, which was up from the 10% he averaged for most of the season. He also threw his sinker 24% of the time, meaning the two pitches accounted for two-thirds of his arsenal.
Nevin believes Suarez has benefited from his new pitch mix.
Make sure to follow Angels Nation on Twitter for all the latest news and updates surrounding the Halos!
