ANAHEIM -- The Angels' starting rotation has been in flux during their 2017 campaign, battling injuries and inserting rookies in the thick of a playoff race. Right-hander Troy Scribner is the latest first-year player to enter the mix, as he made his second career start against a formidable Orioles lineup on Wednesday at Angel Stadium.
In Scribner's first career start against the A's, he gave up five runs (two earned) on two hits over four innings, but the righty said his five-plus-inning, two-hit performance in the Angels' 5-1 win over the Orioles will be a big boost for his confidence going forward.
"Troy did a much better job than the times you saw before," manager Mike Scioscia said. "With commanding counts, I think he brought all his pitches in the game. He did a great job and kept all those guys off balance and got us to a point in the game where we turned it over to the bullpen and [they] did a great job. He had good stuff over there, moved it around and hit his spots, changed speeds. He did what he's good at doing."
Scribner, who is 2-0 with a 3.46 ERA in four appearances, logged a career-high four strikeouts and provided a bridge to a fresh bullpen. The 26-year-old went back and watched film from his first start, picking up ways to sequence hitters and use his full array of pitches better, which saw Scribner deploy his fastball and slider to attack the zone and get more strikes.
"After the first outing you get all your nerves out of the way," Scribner said. "Then you're down to business and you want to see if you can actually perform at this level. … Now that I know that I can get guys out with my stuff and utilize the other part of the strike zone, it's a definite confidence-builder going forward."