Angels trust in RHP Jose Soriano vs. Jose Ramirez, Guardians

Jose Soriano will be on the mound for the Los Angeles Angels against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif., in an attempt to match his impressive season debut.

Soriano (1-0, 0.00 ERA) allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox last Saturday, the type of performance the Angels hope they will see throughout the season and beyond.

“Exactly what we expect from him,” Angels manager Ron Washington said.

More than half of Soriano’s pitches against the White Sox were his high-velocity sinker — 96-, 97-mph with movement. The right-hander struck out five, but his goal is not to blow hitters away.

Keeping his pitch-count down allows him to pitch deeper into the game, and going seven innings helps take the pressure off the bullpen and sets up eighth-inning reliever Ben Joyce and closer Kenley Jansen.

“I know you can’t just mow people down every time, but he does a good job of keeping us in the game,” Washington said. “He got us to the back of the pitching order that we want to use and gave us seven quality innings.”

Soriano is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA over 13 innings in three career games (two starts) against Cleveland.

He is matched up against Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (0-0, 3.60 ERA), who got a no-decision when he allowed two runs and four hits in five innings in a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals last Saturday. Williams has never faced the Angels.

The Guardians seem to have avoided disaster now that Jose Ramirez appears to be fine after spraining his right wrist on a stolen-base attempt last Saturday.

He missed Sunday’s game at Kansas City but returned to the lineup Monday and was a triple shy of the cycle in a 7-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. In three games since the injury, Ramirez is 5-for-11 with a homer and two doubles.

“He’s the best player in the world,” Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges said. “He fuels us. He’s our catalyst. So, no one’s surprised that even with a bum wrist that he goes out and almost hits for the cycle.”

Ramirez just missed out last season on joining Alfonso Soriano as the only players in major league history in one particular 40-40-40 club — at least 40 homers, 40 doubles and 40 stolen bases. Ramirez had 39 homers, 39 doubles and 41 steals.

Coming so close fueled his offseason work.

“I think everything happens for a reason,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “And the reason that happened is to get an extra tool to work hard this offseason. One of the reasons I worked harder this year is to try to get that goal.”

Angels center fielder Jo Adell, who was handed the starting job when the club released Mickey Moniak, is off to a slow start, hitting .250 (3-for-12) with no extra-base hits and one RBI. But Washington has an option in Kyren Paris, who has made the transition from middle infielder to center field and is making it difficult to keep him out of the lineup.

Paris is hitting .444 (4-for-9) with five runs scored, a triple, a homer and three stolen bases.

“Maturity, growing, don’t seem like any moment is too big for him right now,” Washington said. “Very happy for him, because he works his butt off.”

–Field Level Media