Big-name lineup shows Angels what it can do

February 25th, 2020

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Angels rolled out their "A" lineup for the first time this spring on Tuesday against the Reds, marking the Cactus League debuts of regulars such as center fielder , third baseman , designated hitter , left fielder and first baseman . It was also the debut of right-hander , who struck out four over two hitless innings.

The offense didn’t disappoint, as the Angels scored two runs in the first, two runs in the second and two more in the third en route to a 7-3 win at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Trout, Rendon, Ohtani, Upton and Pujols combined to go 3-for-8 with two walks, three RBIs, a hit by pitch and two runs scored.

“It’s exciting,” said Trout, who went 0-for-1 with a walk. “A lot of guys in this lineup can do damage. It’s early in spring. If everyone gets on the right track, hopefully we can get ready for Opening Day.”

Angels manager Joe Maddon said not to read too much into the batting order this early in spring, but this version had David Fletcher as the leadoff hitter, followed by Trout, Rendon, Ohtani, Upton and Pujols in that order. Catcher Jason Castro hit seventh with shortstop Andrelton Simmons hitting eighth. Taylor Ward was the only non-regular in the lineup, batting ninth and starting in right field, but even he hit a solo homer in the second and a two-run triple in the third.

The Angels quickly showed how scary their offense can be when they loaded the bases in the first inning with Trout drawing a walk, Rendon singling and Ohtani getting hit by a pitch. After an Upton strikeout, Pujols delivered a two-run single to get the Angels on the board. It helped the Angels knock Reds starter José De Léon from the game after recording just two outs.

"There's a lot of big names in there,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “Especially the two guys that are hitting in front of me right now. One of those guys is likely to get on, just by chance, so as long as I can do my job and keep the inning going, I'm sure we can score a lot of runs like we did this game."

There’s still a chance Ohtani could hit in between Trout and Rendon this year, but this time Ohtani batted behind the talented duo. After Trout just missed a homer with a deep flyball to the warning track in left, Rendon plated a run in the second, dropping in a single to right to score Fletcher, who doubled. Rendon went 2-for-2 in his Angels debut and Ohtani was impressed by his two-strike approach with his RBI single.

“I’m sure he wasn’t swinging too hard,” said Ohtani, who went 0-for-2. “He had a good two-strike approach to make contact and get the bat on the ball. It’s a very professional approach.”

It wasn’t only the offense that shined against the Reds, however, as Bundy also looked sharp in his debut. He walked one but didn’t give up a hit and mixed in his offspeed well, throwing only 20 fastballs among his 40 pitches.

"It felt good," Bundy said. "I just wanted to get the first inning under my belt. I wanted to throw the changeup more and did so in the second. I'll get the curveball more in play as we get going this spring."

Bundy was also impressed by what he saw from the offense and is looking forward to the run support he should receive this season.