Angels Pitcher Shockingly Admitted He Didn't Have a 'Feel For Ball' Before Getting Lit Up

Jeremy Hanna | Sep 14, 2024

Sep 13, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Samuel Aldegheri (66) throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

While he has made headlines as the first Italian-born pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win a game, left-hander Samuel Aldegheri's last outing was disappointing.

In the Los Angeles Angels' recent 5-3 loss to the Houston Astros, Aldegheri gave up four runs in two-plus innings. To make matters worse, he threw 26 balls in 53 pitches, resulting in five walks.

According to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Aldegheri realized in pregame warmups that he didn't have a "feel for the ball."

“I was not able to find the zone,” Aldegheri said. “Of course, that made everything harder. I just think it was a bad day.”

Still, it seems that Angels manager Ron Washington believes in the Italian pitcher.

“Just couldn’t find his command, couldn’t hit his spots, couldn’t throw any pitch he had with any consistency,” Washington said. “He had just as many balls that he had strikes. And that’s not him. His game is command. Just didn’t have it tonight.”

This one game doesn't seem to be reflective of Aldegheri as a whole. While he started off his first game with five runs, Aldegheri had three scoreless innings and three strikeouts, ending the game with a 3.60 ERA.

Aldegheri recorded his first win against the Texas Rangers, where he recorded seven strike outs and a 2.45 ERA with only one run.

After the win, Washington compared Aldegheri to Rangers' pitcher Cody Bradford.

“It’s similar," Washington said. "Only thing is, the [Bradford] last night has a little bit more maturity and a little bit more time in the big leagues. But this kid has an idea of how to pitch, and he showed that tonight.”

“It’s about location and changing speeds. You want to keep a hitter off-balance,” he said. “Last night, Bradford did it to us, and tonight, Aldegheri did it to them. Neither one of them can break a window pane, but they know how to pitch, and sometimes in this game, all you have to do is pitch.”

Fortunately, left-hander José Suarez was able to pick up the slack and get the Angels back in the game, pitching four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and only allowing four singles.

On top of that, the Angels were able to capitalize after Jordyn Adams and Jack López drew walks and were brought home on a groundout and single by Nolan Schanuel, respectively.

Mickey Moniak also brought the game closer after hitting a home run in the fourth inning, but it wasn't enough to get the win. The Angels only had three hits for the rest of the game.

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