OC Register: Angels recall Chase Silseth for bullpen, but haven’t closed the door on him starting

[AngelsWin.com]

ANAHEIM — Chase Silseth’s strong start at Triple-A earned him an opportunity in the big leagues.

Where that opportunity takes him remains to be seen.

The right-hander was officially listed as a part of the Angels’ bullpen when he joined the team on Wednesday. He’s been a starter for his entire two-year pro career, including an 0.90 ERA in his first four starts of the season at Triple-A, so that door isn’t closed either.

“I think (relief) is a role that could be great for him, but it also could mean he could work into that starting spot too,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “There might be some chances for that. We just felt like we got the best arm that we have going down there and he’s had some success in the major leagues. Love his stuff.”

Right-handed reliever Austin Warren felt some discomfort in his elbow before Tuesday’s game, prompting a trip to the injured list. The Angels could have brought back reliever Jimmy Herget or right-hander Zack Weiss, who is also on the 40-man roster.

The advantage to bringing up a starter like Silseth is that he could provide the Angels with three or four innings out of the bullpen if they need it. The Angels’ bullpen has been thin the past few games because of how frequently the top relievers have been used.

Silseth was set to start at Triple-A on Tuesday night. He was in the middle of the pre-game meeting when he got word that he wasn’t starting, but instead heading to Anaheim.

“At 6:10 they said ‘Can you make a flight at 7:55?’” Silseth said. “I said ‘I’m on it.’”

Silseth is an intriguing arm because a case can be made for him as a starter or a reliever.

His performance so far this year as a starter was encouraging. The Angels could need a starter in the big leagues if José Suarez doesn’t quickly iron out the issues that led him to a 10.26 ERA in his first four starts. Nevin said he’s going to start on Sunday in Milwaukee, but if that doesn’t go well, he could be headed to the bullpen.

If the Angels do replace Suarez in the rotation, they could choose between Tucker Davidson or Silseth.

The Angels also have struggled to get consistent work out of their bullpen, and Silseth could be part of the answer to that problem.

Last season he typically started off strong but lost his velocity and command after 40 or 50 pitches. If the Angels only needed him for one or two innings, he might be better. He could even see an uptick on his fastball, which averaged 95.4 mph last season. Silseth has also started throwing a cutter, and he said the velocity on that pitch has increased since spring training.

The only current Angels reliever with above-average velocity is right-hander Carlos Estévez.

“I’m gonna do whatever they ask me to do, whatever I can do to help the team win,” Silseth said. “Just give it my best. (Relieving) is foreign territory, but it’s still 60 feet, six inches. At the end of the day, that’s what it is.”

Nevin said he can envision anything with Silseth.

“If he’s that successful (in relief), if it turns into something like that, you never know what you’re gonna get,” Nevin said. “We’ve seen plenty of guys come into this league as starters and turn into relievers and end up doing some great things in this game. We’ve seen a lot of guys that have come in as relievers and turned into starters and done great things in this game too. It remains to be seen. I just know we have a really talented arm and how I’m gonna use him will just be kind of dictated by what the game is calling for.”

CANNING STAYS

Right-hander Griffin Canning’s next turn in the rotation falls on Monday, which is an off day, but the Angels are not going to send him to the bullpen or Triple-A, Nevin said.

“Griffin is going to make starts,” Nevin said. “He’s pitched too well not for us to keep him out there. He’s earned that right.”

Canning has a 4.11 ERA in three starts, allowing two or three runs in each game.

The Angels haven’t officially set their rotation beyond the next four games, with Shohei Ohtani working on Thursday and Tyler Anderson, Reid Detmers and Suarez pitching over the weekend in Milwaukee.

The Angels then start a series in St. Louis next Tuesday. Ohtani is going to pitch on Wednesday, but they haven’t decided who will pitch the other two games. They could use Canning and Patrick Sandoval for those games, with the order depending on which pitcher they want to get the extra rest.

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 3-0, 0.64) vs. A’s (LHP JP Sears, 0-1, 4.98), Thursday, 1:07 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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[Revad]

34 minutes ago, AngelsWin.com said:

Right-hander Griffin Canning’s next turn in the rotation falls on Monday, which is an off day, but the Angels are not going to send him to the bullpen or Triple-A, Nevin said.

“Griffin is going to make starts,” Nevin said. “He’s pitched too well not for us to keep him out there. He’s earned that right.”

So Suarez makes his next start but so does Canning.  Interesting.  I wonder if Canning has basically become the 5th starter at this point.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Revad

[Jeff Fletcher]

5 hours ago, Revad said:

So Suarez makes his next start but so does Canning.  Interesting.  I wonder if Canning has basically become the 5th starter at this point.

Obviously, yes. 

[Angels 1961]

6 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Obviously, yes. 

If Suarez next start is bad who gets put into his spot, Davidson or Silseth?

[totdprods]

Good question to think about…if Silseth becomes an immediate strong option as a high-lev reliever and runs with it for a few weeks or a month-plus…at what point do you take him out of that and try him back at the rotation? The need in pen is obviously greater, perhaps for the remainder of the year if not into next even.

[T.G.]

I think putting Silseth in the bullpen is an excellent use of resources.  The pitching depth is starting to pay dividends.

[totdprods]

7 minutes ago, T.G. said:

I think putting Silseth in the bullpen is an excellent use of resources.  The pitching depth is starting to pay dividends.

If Joyce irons things out, and someone like Soriano starts to put it together, the pen could look quite different in a month or so.

Unless Suarez has a fantastic next start, I think the Halos should swap he and Davidson and see if Suarez can find himself again in long-relief, and if Tucker can maintain as a starter. 

[TroutField]

Hopefully Silseth can stick in the pen and Quijada and Estevez can continue to be somewhat reliable. That, paired with Matt Moore and Wantz gets you up to 5 guys you would feel okay about having in the game with a slim margin. 
Barria as the mop up guy and then hopefully Herget figures it out. I guess there is writing on the wall for a decent pen. 
 

 

[Chuck]

17 minutes ago, TroutField said:

Hopefully Silseth can stick in the pen and Quijada and Estevez can continue to be somewhat reliable. That, paired with Matt Moore and Wantz gets you up to 5 guys you would feel okay about having in the game with a slim margin. 
Barria as the mop up guy and then hopefully Herget figures it out. I guess there is writing on the wall for a decent pen. 
 

 

I like it. Silseth, Estevez, Quijada, Moore, Wantz pitching late, with Davidson going long relief or in short stints is great.

Keep Barria for games that it's a blowout either way or show him the door along with Poop and Tempura.

[Jeff Fletcher]

1 hour ago, Angels 1961 said:

If Suarez next start is bad who gets put into his spot, Davidson or Silseth?

I don’t know. You could make a case for either. Let’s see what happens between now and then. 

[Jeff Fletcher]

39 minutes ago, TroutField said:

I guess there is writing on the wall for a decent pen. 

Bullpens are always super volatile, from year to year and even within a year. 
 

While I understand that it’s super frustrating when a bullpen struggles because those are immediate losses, it’s important to remember that teams undergo bullpen makeovers all the time. One trade or minor league promotion or guy switching roles or guy finding a new pitch can make a dramatic difference. 
 

In 2014 the Angels bullpen started out pretty horribly. Ernesto Frieri was the closer and lost his job. But they traded for Huston Street and Kevin Jepsen went from meh to automatic at the flip of a switch and suddenly they were really good. 
 

Also, the Angels aren’t starting out at “awful,” even though it feels that way. Statistically, they are probably 15-20 right now. If they get to 8-10, that’s probably good enough. 

[DCAngelsFan]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

Good question to think about…if Silseth becomes an immediate strong option as a high-lev reliever and runs with it for a few weeks or a month-plus…at what point do you take him out of that and try him back at the rotation? The need in pen is obviously greater, perhaps for the remainder of the year if not into next even.

I think you're right - they'll see what he has and increasingly (hopefully) use him as a high-lev reliever. 

 

As a starter, his knock has been his length, but he was averaging 5 innings/start in SLC, so maybe he's built enough durability to start?

Long-term, I think we have to give him that chance to be a starter - but his value right now is probably as a reliever, even if Suarez continues to tank.