OC Register: Angels reliever Andrew Wantz helped by improved cutter

[AngelsWin.com]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Andrew Wantz’s cutter was born during the pandemic and it got new life thanks to work with Ryan Tepera.

Now, it could be the key to Wantz taking a step toward becoming a reliable major league reliever.

The Angels right-hander didn’t really throw his cutter much early in the season, but he’s used it increasingly over the past couple of months, and the results have been clear.

Wantz has a 2.20 ERA over his last 15 games, dating to July 3. In his last two games, he has retired all eight hitters he’s faced, with four strikeouts. For the season, he has a 3.15 ERA in 28 games.

The last two games have also seen Wantz throw some of his hardest four-seam fastballs, averaging 94.7 mph.

Wantz said the increased velocity is just a combination of extra rest and some anger from an Aug. 10 outing in Oakland, when he walked two of the three batters he faced.

“I know I’m better than that,” Wantz said. “Added a little fuel to the fire.”

Mostly, though, Wantz said his improvement this season is because of more focus on his command – which he attributed to working with pitching coaches Matt Wise and Dom Chiti – and the better cutter.

Wantz, 26, was not high on the Angels’ prospect list after he finished 2019 at Double-A, with a 7.13 ERA. When the sport was shut down for the pandemic in 2020, Wantz wasn’t invited to summer camp or the alternate site. So he was at home playing catch with a friend when he decided to start fooling around with a cutter.

“I was just kind of getting bored doing the same pitches every day and I was like, you know I’m just gonna mess around, gripped it kind of a like a football,” Wantz said. “My friend was like, ‘That is late and nasty.’ I brought it to spring training 2021. That definitely got me to the bigs.”

Wantz said Tepera added another piece to the development of the pitch because he realized it had a similar grip and action to his slider.

“I talked to him about it, ‘What’s your thought process? How do you approach hitters with it? What are you looking at, what’s your target?’” Wantz said. “Working with him has definitely helped.”

Wantz now has a cutter and a slider, which break in opposite directions. The cutter can be particularly effective against lefties. He used the cutter on two of his three strikeouts in a perfect outing on Sunday.

“It’s on the same plane as his fastball, just kind of makes a little bit of a left turn late, and he’s got good ride on his fastball that he continues to work on,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “The cutter has been a big, big pitch for him.”

OHTANI UPDATE

Shohei Ohtani was not in the lineup on Monday, a day after he had to leave a game because of a stomach virus. Nevin said he didn’t even wait to get Ohtani’s opinion before telling him that he was not going to play.

“Those little things, for a day they kick your butt a little bit,” Nevin said. “I just felt like today was a good day to get him off his feet.”

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Nevin said Ohtani was still available to pinch-hit on Monday. He will DH the rest of the week, and he will pitch on Saturday in Toronto.

NOTES

Mike Mayers will make start on Wednesday, his first traditional start for the Angels after they had him stretch out in the minor leagues. He had started twice as an opener previously. Mayers threw 96 pitches in relief in his previous outing, so he will be able to make a normal start. “He deserved the right to have that,” Nevin said. “It’s a lot to ask to build up your innings to become a starter in the middle of the year and he’s done a fine job with that. We’ll see what we can get out of him on Wednesday.” …

Mike Trout was in the lineup as the DH on Monday, with Ohtani off. Nevin said that Trout would start in center field on Tuesday and Wednesday and get Thursday off. Nevin is trying to be cautious with all of his players this week because the Angels are playing seven consecutive games on artificial turf. Trout warrants extra caution because he’s just back from missing more than a month with a back issue.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP José Suarez, 4-5, 4.12) at Rays (RHP Corey Kluber, 7-7, 4.33), Monday, 4:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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[happybat4]

Nobody Wantz to read this shit.

[happybat4]

Like I said. Nobody Wantz to read this shit.