Angels' Zach Plesac Opens Up About Inconsistent Performance

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 1, 2024

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Zach Plesac struggled to find the strike zone on Friday. The second inning of the team's 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers was a disaster. He had a two-run lead and couldn't protect it.

With two outs and a runner on first, Plesac threw 16 of the next 19 pitches out of the strike zone and the ensuing four consecutive walks tied the score at 2-2. Manager Ron Washington pulled him and Jose Marte got the third out to end the threat.

“I was cruising, I got two outs and my hands just got sweaty; I couldn’t get a grip,” Plesac said. “It seemed like I was just squeezing it tight. I just couldn’t get a grip on the ball. It just kept sliding out. You got to give it up to the bullpen.”

Plesac threw 57 total pitches with only 29 for strikes. He gave up one hit and four walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings.

“He just couldn’t get the feel anymore. He just lost his feel,” Washington said. “First two innings he was going just the way he wanted to and all of a sudden, he lost his feel. I tried to give him a chance to get out of it. Once the game was tied, I had to go to the bullpen.”

Plesac was shortly thereafter demoted to Triple-A, where he'll look to get back on track and make a big league return at some point this season. Plesac signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Angels this offseason.