ANAHEIM — As Carlos Estévez endured a rough start to his season, he knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what.
“Something doesn’t feel the same,” the Angels closer said he told pitching coaches Barry Enright and Steve Karsay in early May. “What I see is not the same.”
As the three of them analyzed video and watched him throw, it was Karsay, the bullpen coach, who Estévez said provided the key.
Karsay suggested that Estévez was releasing the ball with his wrist at the wrong angle, which made it difficult to get his pitches where he wanted them.
“I was dropping my hand on the fastballs,” Estévez said. “That’s why they were running back over the middle.”
Fastballs over the middle, of course, are a recipe for disaster, which to Estévez was a 6.23 ERA and two blown saves in his first seven attempts. He said that they diagnosed the issue in Pittsburgh in early May, just after a stretch in which he’d allowed six runs in 3-2/3 innings.
Since then, Estévez has a 1.76 ERA over his last 15 games, including an ongoing streak of eight consecutive perfect outings.
His 24 consecutive batters retired is four shy of the Angels’ record. Mike Witt retired 28 in a row, all but one of them during his perfect game in 1984. Ricky Nolasco also retired 28 straight over two games in 2016.
The Angels record for a reliever is 26 in a row, set by Raisel Iglesias over a span of eight games in 2021.
“He’s been attacking the zone,” manager Ron Washington said of Estévez. “He’s been using his pitches in different areas of the zone, so you can’t zero in on one part. In other words, he’s been changing a lot of eye levels.”
Enright said Estévez has also improved his slider, which has been his best pitch throughout his career.
“I think his slider has been even better than last year,” Enright said.
Estévez had a 24.6% whiff rate on his slider in the first half last season, when he was so effective he made the All-Star team. Since making the adjustments at the start of May, he’s gotten a 34.6% whiff rate on his slider. Estévez has allowed just one hit on a slider since then.
Estevez said he’s also been more confident in his changeup.
“Trying to get the changeup back to throw to lefties,” he said. “Now they aren’t only thinking fastball and slider. I pitched a lot with it in Denver, but came here and kind of lost it.”
The improvements have obviously helped the Angels, as Estévez has seven saves and a victory in his last eight games. Perhaps more important for the long-term health of the franchise, though, is that Estévez has turned himself into an attractive trade chip.
Because Estévez, 31, is going to be a free agent at the end of the season, the Angels obviously would make him available before the July 30 trade deadline.
Late-inning relievers are always in demand by multiple contenders each year.
At the moment, Estévez is arguably the best reliever who would be available from one of the five teams that are certain to be sellers. (Oakland A’s right-hander Mason Miller still has five years left before free agency, so the A’s would require a significant package to move him.)
Any team that acquires Estévez would certainly need to be convinced that he’d be able to perform deep into October. Estévez admitted after he faltered in the second half last season that he was fatigued from his first year as a closer.
Estévez worked over the winter to prevent that. So far, he said he thinks it worked.
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He said he has not yet unleashed his top velocity. His fastball this year has averaged 96 mph, but on Friday night in a save at Dodger Stadium, he was at 98 mph. It was the hardest he’s thrown this season.
“I feel good, really good,” Estévez said. “I’m at a point that I know that I have a lot more in the tank. I’m getting my outs like this, but if I have to reach back, I know I have 98 in the bag.”
UP NEXT
Athletics (RHP Luis Medina, 1-2, 4.71) at Angels (RHP Griffin Canning, 2-8, 5.02) at Angel Stadium, 6:38 p.m. PT Monday, Bally Sports West, 830 AM.