Coming off a solid run of starts, Los Angeles Angels starter Patrick Sandoval entered Monday’s outing with a difficult task of taking on the Texas Rangers.
The left-hander had posted a 1.86 ERA in his previous five starts before Monday, going 2-1 and providing manager Phil Nevin with another stable option in his starting rotation. Unfortunately for Sandoval, his command did him no favors, and after allowing five runs (four earned), he was pulled after just 2.2 innings pitched.
Going on to lose the game 12-0 was a continuation of Sandoval’s poor performance as a whole this season, something he put on himself as a key reason in the defeat, per Jalyn Smoot of MLB.com:
“I played like crap tonight,” Sandoval said. “I just didn’t pick up my teammates. It’s tough whenever you go out like that and get pulled in the third inning. Putting your team in a hole like that, it’s tough.
“I definitely have to be better and pitch better.”
His six free passes were tied for his highest total of the season, with the other instance coming in an April start against the New York Yankees. Sandoval isn’t a big strikeout arm, so his inability to find the strike zone put the Rangers in a spot that he was doing all the work for them:
“He was just scattered,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “The walks hurt him today. It hurts your pitch count and the ability to go deep in the game. [Eighty-three] pitches through three innings is just too much. He just wasn’t able to find the plate tonight.”
Sandoval is having a down season as a whole after posting the best statistical year of his career. Over 21 starts this year he carries a 4.09 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts in 112.1 innings.
The 26-year-old having a hiccup against one of the best offenses in baseball is a step back, but having that sustained success over his previous five outings is a huge plus to look at.
What changed with Patrick Sandoval?
From 2022 to this season, Sandoval’s issues aren’t that deep. With his slider, which graded out as one of the more-plus sliders among starters last season, has taken a step back.
He’s still throwing it with a relatively same frequency, but he’s leaving it too far in the middle of the plate towards the right-handed batter’s box. Whether it’s his command, or simply plan of attack, his changeup has taken huge leaps forward, and is now his most effective pitch.
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