Michael Lorenzen entered free agency looking to sign with a team who was willing to give him a chance as a starting pitcher and the Los Angeles Angels were happy to oblige.
The Angels were focused on upgrading their rotation this offseason and signed Lorenzen, along with Noah Syndergaard, as part of their reworked rotation that also includes Shoehei Ohtani and a trio of young southpaws in Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval and José Suarez.
While Lorenzen has pitched in 295 career games, only 26 of them have come as a starting pitcher, with 21 of those coming in 2015. However, Lorenzen was determined to start and and believed he made improvements that will help him meet his goal.
On Monday night, the Anaheim native made his Angels debut as a starter and shined, throwing six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and no walks. After the game, Lorenzen said he was appreciative of the opportunity, via Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
“It was a lot of fun” said Lorenzen, who gave up one run and struck out seven with no walks. “I’ve been looking forward to starting for a really long time and to be able to do it in front of my family, in front of my friends, it’s a dream come true for sure. Super blessed for the opportunity.’
Both of the Angels’ wins this season have come backed by strong pitching performances from their two free agent acquisitions in the rotation. When Angels starters go five innings or more in a game, the team is 2-0, but when their starters fail to make it out of the fifth, the club is 0-3.
The rotation has been a consistent problem for L.A. over the past few seasons, and they are already showing their importance early in the season. If the team is able to get back to the playoffs this season, there is a good chance Lorenzen and Syndergaard will be a big part of their success.
Maddon: Angels ‘Played Well’ Despite Results
The Angels didn’t start their season on the best note, dropping three of their first four games of 2022 to the division rival Houston Astros.
They were outscored 20-10 to start the season, including a 13-6 blowout their second game of their season. Their only victory came on a 2-0 win behind a strong club debut from Syndergaard, who pitched 5.1 innings while allowing only two hits.
While it wasn’t the start the Angels were looking for, manager Joe Maddon is still confident in his team and liked the way they were playing.
