Taylor Ward likely will start in left field for the Los Angeles Angels when they host the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif., a situation that has been the same in all seven Angels game this season.
But Ward’s place in the lineup certainly has been tenuous considering what happened last year.
Ward was hit in the face by a fastball from Toronto’s Alek Manoah on July 29, causing multiple facial fractures. It resulted in surgery that included inserting three metal plates and complete nose reconstruction.
Though he was physically healed by the start of spring training, the next step in his return would be related to his confidence in the batter’s box and whether fear would be a factor.
He hit against live pitching for the first time on Feb. 17 during a spring training workout, and all of the questions were answered.
“Seeing that first pitch go by, I think after that, I settled down a little bit,” Ward said. “I got back to my approach and do what I do. That’s really all I was thinking about. I had no other thoughts creeping in or negativity, so happy with where I’m at.”
Ward not only is comfortable in the batter’s box again, but he is off to a hot start. Despite a 1-for-5 outing Friday in the Angels’ 8-6 loss to the Red Sox, he has been the club’s best hitter through seven games.
He leads or is tied for the club lead in runs (eight), hits (nine), doubles (two), homers (three) and RBIs (eight).
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story’s status is questionable for Saturday’s game after injuring his left shoulder in the fourth inning of Friday’s game. Story made a diving, back-handed attempt to field a sharp one-hopper hit by Mike Trout and landed hard on his left side with his left arm extended.
Story writhed in pain on the ground for a few minutes before walking off the field. No test results were available as of late Friday.
Left-hander Reid Detmers (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will make his second start of the season for the Angels, coming off a victory against the Orioles on Sunday. After Angels pitching gave up 24 runs to the Orioles in the first two games of the season, Detmers allowed one run and two hits in five innings of the Angels’ 4-1 win.
Detmers is 0-1 with a 2.93 ERA in three career starts vs. Boston, which has won five straight games.
Right-hander Garrett Whitlock will start for the Red Sox, and he had a similar performance in his first game, allowing one run and three hits in five innings of a victory over the Seattle Mariners last Sunday.
Whitlock (1-0, 1.80 ERA) had to earn his spot in the rotation during the spring, but instead of concerning himself with what his role might be, he heeded the advice of former major league pitcher Adam Warren, whom Whitlock considers a mentor.
“The last couple years, I felt that kind of chip like, ‘Everyone says you need to be a starter, everyone wants to be a starter,’ and I kind of took a page from Adam Warren,” Whitlock said. “He told me, ‘Once you adapt that mindset of that Swiss Army knife, where it’s just like, ‘Throw me in anything, and I’ll go out there and do it,’ it frees everything else up.
“It’s like, I don’t feel like this chip or this burden like, ‘I’ve got to be a starter. I’ve got to be a closer.’ It’s like, ‘Dude, you’re on a freaking big league team, enjoy that, have fun and compete.'”
Whitlock is 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA in four career games (three starts) vs. the Angels.
–Field Level Media