Rockies 8, Angels 2 (7 innings) – Cactus League 3/6/21 Breakdown

by BJ Martin, Angels Nation Staff  

Justin Upton, Mike Trout, Dexter Fowler 

The Angels Opening Day starting outfield is all but official. 

Saturday afternoon in Tempe, a trio of outfielders continued to impress Joe Maddon and Perry Minansain.  

In the shadow of an 8-2 Cactus League loss to Colorado, there were many bright spots for the Angels. 

Headlined by outstanding at bats by Saturday’s starting outfielders Jo Adell, Juan Lagares, and Jon Jay. Solidified by starting pitcher Jose Quintana, closer Raisel Iglesias, and non-roster invite Jake Faria.  

Wins and losses are not important in Spring Training. Health and development are the important things. Several players made encouraging strides in these areas Saturday afternoon. 

The ‘Brief Breakdown’: 

Pitching:  

Jose Quintana baffled Rockies’ hitters for two innings. Great command of his breaking pitches combined with good fastball velocity led to two no-hit innings. The lefty struck out four batters and limited Colorado to a lone base-runner via his one base on balls. 

Angels closer Raisel Iglesias struck out Brendan Rodgers to open up the third inning. He cruised through a 1-2-3 inning in his second appearance of the spring. 

Mike Mayers surrendered a lead-off home run to Chris Owings in the fourth. Walked the second batter faced before a C.J. Cron line drive deflected off the right-hander’s leg. Trainers visited the mound and Mayers continued. He would surrender a double and single before being pulled with no outs. 

Mayers knee with certainly be evaluated in the coming days. The right-hander is key component to the Angels late innings this season. 

Non-roster invite, Jake Faria, continued to impress in his lone inning of work. Striking out the side and retiring all three Rockies hitters he faced Saturday. The Orange County product is making a strong bid for the Angels roster. His ability to pitch long relief and spot start makes him versatile option.  

2019 seventh round selection out of Auburn, Davis Daniel, made his professional debut pitching a perfect sixth inning. Using his four-seam fastball and good command of curveball to retire MLB hitter Elias Diaz, Rodgers, and Garrett Hampson in order. Striking out Rodgers looking on a 2-2 pitch for the second out of the inning. 

Batters:  

Jo Adell’s two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning stood out as the offensive highlight of the game. The Angels future right fielder drew his fifth walk of the spring in his second plate appearance. Joe Maddon commented after the game on how they have been working on Adell having this movement at the plate. The results have been positive and led to improved plate discipline early this spring. 

Juan Lagares continued his hit-a-thon first week of spring. Singling in both his plate appearances and elevating his spring batting average to .667 (6-for-9.) 

Lagares chief competition for the fourth outfield role, Jon Jay, tripled to center field in his first plate appearance in the second inning. The extra base hit was the first of this spring for the .281 lifetime hitter battling for spot on roster. 

Jared Walsh continued preparing for his first full season as the Angels starting first baseman. Lacing a line drive single to right-center in the contest.  

Talking points:  

Californian Governor Gavin Newsom announced modified guidelines for public events Friday afternoon. This will allow for Angels to have fans in attendance for games beginning April 1st. The club will be able to sell tickets at 20% capacity until the state’s leadership allows for increase at their discretion. 

Pitcher Gerardo Reyes was outrighted to Salt Lake following Friday afternoon’s game. The right-hander suffered an UCL injury that has left his future uncertain. Reyes was acquired from San Diego in exchange for Jason Castro last August.  

On Sunday: Jaime Barria is the scheduled starter for the Angels as they host the Seattle Mariners at Tempe Diablo Stadium at 12:10 PM (PT.) Seattle is scheduled to match-up with Logan Gilbert on the mound. The Sunday matinee will be broadcast for television on Fox Sports West and MLB Network and radio on KLAA.