Notes: Cobb's velo up; Ohtani's next start

Right-hander Alex Cobb turned in a solid outing in the Angels' 4-2 win over the Indians on Wednesday, striking out four batters over three-plus innings and showing higher velocity than he averaged last season with the Orioles.

Cobb’s fastball reached as high as 94 mph, according to the radar gun at Goodyear Ballpark, which was higher than his average fastball velocity of 92.5 mph last year (per BaseballSavant.com). Cobb worked to overhaul his mechanics this offseason, including a trip to Driveline Baseball in Seattle, and is pleased with the way everything is going this spring.

“The ball feels like it’s coming out well,” Cobb said. “You can kind of tell when you have life on your fastball. The life on the fastball feels great right now. I think it's gonna make all the offspeed pitches play a lot better, which is the recipe for success."

Cobb, who was charged with one run on two hits and one walk, also showed an impressive splitter during his outing. His first three outs all came on groundballs, which is a good sign for Cobb, who said he knows his stuff is working if he can get hitters to put the ball on the ground.

"I think the most encouraging thing in Spring Training for me is just to locate, and when they do make contact, to see it on the ground," Cobb said. "If I have an outing where I'm getting a bunch of popups and deep flyballs then I know something's off. So, it is nice to get to see those groundballs, especially in the first inning, so you know that you're on the right path."

Angels manager Joe Maddon liked what he saw from Cobb and it reminded him of their time together with the Rays, when Cobb posted a combined 3.21 ERA from 2011-14.

"He had really good stuff," Maddon said. "That's kind of like when I knew him a couple years ago. His fastball was 94 [mph], saw a lot of 93s. Really good curveball, really good split-finger. A lot of groundballs. Pitch efficient, all those different things. He looked really good."

Ohtani to start Saturday vs. White Sox
Maddon wasn’t sure early in the week if Shohei Ohtani’s next start was going to come in a Cactus League game or a "B" game, but he said on Wednesday that the two-way star will face the White Sox on Saturday at Camelback Ranch. It’ll be Ohtani’s second start of the spring, as he impressed against the A’s, reaching 100 mph and striking out five batters in 1 2/3 innings.

Ohtani’s primary focus is on pitching this spring, as he’ll be a normal part of the six-man rotation instead of pitching on a designated day of the week. But Maddon indicated there’s a chance Ohtani might not get fully stretched out to six innings and 95 pitches by his final spring start.

Ohtani has continued to see action as a designated hitter and is also faring well offensively, going 5-for-10 with a homer over the batter’s eye at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Angels tidbits
• Catcher Max Stassi was in the lineup as a DH on Wednesday, doubling off the wall in right in the third, and is nearing his spring debut behind the plate. Stassi is coming off left hip surgery and Maddon said that they fully expect him to be ready for Opening Day on April 1.

• Luis Rengifo started in left field against the Indians, as he continues to improve his versatility this spring. Rengifo has never started in the outfield in the Majors, but he has some experience as a Minor Leaguer. Rengifo played 19 games in left and one in center while in the Mariners' organization in 2017, as well as three games in left in Triple-A with the Angels in '19. Rengifo is competing for a spot as a utility player along with Franklin Barreto and Jack Mayfield. Maddon said he'd like to see Rengifo become a player in the mold of Chone Figgins, Tony Phillips and Mark McLemore.

• Patrick Sandoval, Jaime Barria and José Suarez will be stretched out to start this spring but will be also considered for bullpen roles, Maddon said. Barria is the likeliest to make the club, especially if he remains out of options. Barria is still awaiting a decision on his option status, as there remains a chance last year’s shortened season won’t count as an option year. Sandoval, though, has pitched well this spring, including throwing three scoreless frames against Cleveland on Wednesday.