The Los Angeles Angels sixth starter — Jose Quintana — has had a less than ideal start to the season. His first two starts were of serious cause for concern, giving up a total of nine earned runs in just 5.0 innings for an ERA of 16.20 in an 0-1 start.
Then, in his third outing of the season against the Texas Rangers, he seemingly figured things out. Despite an Angels loss, Quintana was remarkably effective, giving up just one run and striking out eight in 5.0 innings. This meant that Tuesday’s performance against those same Rangers could have marked a true turning point for him this season.
It didn’t pan out, as Quintana once again struggled in 3.1 innings where he allowed five earned runs. The Angels pitcher confirmed that it was a tough night for him, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“Tonight was really frustrating for me,” Quintana said. “But I need to keep going. I need to have trust. It was a tough night for me.”
Quintana went into depth on what’s causing his issues, saying that he feels good physically, but needs to have more trust in his pitches moving forward.
“I have plenty of confidence,” Quintana said. “Games like tonight are frustrating because I feel great. My health is good. My pitches feel good. I need to keep competing. I need to turn the page and keep it going. I feel like I’ll be good once I trust my stuff. If I make my adjustments, I’ll be ready to go and compete.”
The Angels have lost three of the four games that Quintana has pitched in. And while one of those was not his fault, it is something the team needs to monitor in his next outing. It’s unlikely they’re at the point where they remove him from the rotation already, but another bad outing would have to open up that conversation.
For Quintana, he needs to go back to his first performance against the Rangers and figure out what worked in that outing. If he can review the tape, figure it out, and apply it to his next start, he may be able to recapture some success.
Shohei Ohtani shows composure after tough start
Angels starter Shohei Ohtani had a turnaround performance on the mound against the Rangers. After an abysmal first inning in which he allowed four runs to score, he was nearly perfect for the next four innings, allowing him to get through the five required to pick up a win.