ANAHEIM — After José Soriano threw his third straight gem to begin the season, he said one of the big differences this year is how well he’s communicating with catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
A day later, O’Hoppe responded to that compliment by thanking his coaches for giving him more freedom.
“I’ve never felt more trusted to play the game than I have this year,” O’Hoppe said. “That’s my whole big league career, not just last year.”
O’Hoppe said pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott, bullpen coach Dom Chiti and run-prevention coordinator Alex Cultice have all given him the latitude to change the game plan based on what he’s seeing behind the plate.
O’Hoppe said he has to go back to 2019, when he was in the minors with the Philadelphia Phillies, to find a time when a coaching staff trusted his judgment the way the Angels have this year.
“It’s super exciting,” O’Hoppe said.
Asked for a tangible example, O’Hoppe said he and Soriano determined early in Monday night’s game that the Atlanta Braves seemed to be on his pitches anytime they threw the same pitch back-to-back.
So O’Hoppe and Soriano came into the dugout and told Maddux and the other coaches that they needed to adjust.
“We gotta keep more of a mix here than just sticking to what is maybe looking like it’s working at the time,” O’Hoppe said he told Maddux. “And Sori mixed it from there and went eight innings.”
In the first two innings, they threw the same pitch to the same hitter back-to-back six times. They only did it six more times over the last six innings that Soriano pitched.
Soriano has been the Angels’ best pitcher, but most of the pitchers have gotten the job done so far this season. Coming into Tuesday’s game, the Angels were sixth in the majors with a 3.21 ERA.
Even when adding in the 12 unearned runs, the Angels’ 4.27 runs allowed per game ranks 15th in the majors. Last season they were 28th.
O’Hoppe had a rough start to the season in some parts of his defensive game, like throwing and receiving. His framing problems are now mitigated by the ability to use the ABS when he loses a strike.
The most important part of a catcher’s job is still working with the pitcher on a game plan and helping him execute it. In that respect, O’Hoppe is getting high marks so far.
“I think there’s a sense of calmness with Hop,” Manager Kurt Suzuki said. “Confidence. All those type of things. As a pitcher, you feel it.”
TROUT RETURNS
Mike Trout was back in the lineup just two days after being hit in the left hand by a pitch.
Trout said there was still some swelling, but it was tolerable. When he was first hit, his hand swelled up so much that his batting glove needed to be cut off his hand.
“We dodged a bullet,” Trout said.
INJURY UPDATES
Right-hander Kirby Yates, who has been out with a knee injury, threw about 25 pitches to hitters on Tuesday.
“We got through it,” Yates said. “It was good. Body felt good. The hard part is I didn’t get a chance to do anything with my legs for 12 or 13 days. So we’re trying to play catch up with that. The legs aren’t as fresh as I’d probably like them to be, but overall, I think it was good. I think it’s a good starting point and we’ve got to build up a little bit. I think it’s time to roll and try to get back here as quickly as I can.”
Yates said they will see how he feels on Wednesday and determine the next step. He said he doesn’t want to come back too early, which he believes he did when he hurt his hamstring last season with the Dodgers.
“I need to be pretty sharp when I come back, or at least have a pretty good idea what my stuff is out there, so I can navigate some innings,” Yates said.
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez said his long toss is out to about 150 feet, and he’s been throwing fastballs and changeups when playing catch.
“Feeling a lot better,” said Rodriguez, who is out with shoulder inflammation. “Been progressing well through catch. Looking to get off a mound shortly.”
He said he would be throwing off a mound within a week, “for sure.”
NOTES
So far Suzuki has shown a preference for keeping his lineup consistent. He’s used the exact same lineup in six of 12 games, and on Tuesday he used his normal lineup, with the lone exception of Travis d’Arnaud in the No. 8 spot instead of O’Hoppe. “I’m huge on continuity,” Suzuki said. …
Yoán Moncada has remained in the No. 5 spot for nine of the 10 games that he’s started, even though he’s hitting .100 with a .470 OPS. Suzuki said he could drop him later, but it’s too early. “I know he’s been doing a lot of work with those guys in the cages and he’s looking really good,” Suzuki said. “So we’ll see how he goes.” …
Left-hander Joey Lucchesi elected free agency. The Angels designated Lucchesi for assignment, and they tried to outright him to the minors, but he had the right to declare himself a free agent instead of staying in the minors with the Angels.
UP NEXT
Braves (RHP Grant Holmes, 0-1, 2.45 ERA) at Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 0-0, 2.38 ERA), Wednesday, 1:07 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network, 830 AM