After pitching well in two long-relief appearances, Jaime Barria made his first start of the season against the Mariners on Monday afternoon. He again was solid, which should keep him in the Angels' rotation going forward.
Barria surrendered one run on five hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings in a 2-1 loss to the Mariners in the series finale at Angel Stadium. He wasn't involved in the decision, but he lowered his ERA to 2.63 in 13 2/3 innings this season.
The 24-year-old right-hander was coming off a relief appearance in which he held the Astros to one run over five innings last Tuesday.
“I thought he looked really good actually,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “I thought he was sharper in Houston. I talked to him when he came up off. Everything he threw in Houston was that much sharper, but what I talked to him about today was how well he battled without having his best stuff.”
Barria was spotted an early lead on a solo homer from Justin Upton off lefty Marco Gonzales in the second, but he gave it right back in the third. He allowed a leadoff triple to Jake Fraley and then a game-tying RBI single from Joseph Odom. J.P. Crawford followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out, but Barria was able to escape the jam despite facing the top of Seattle’s order.
“The Mariners started to pick up my offspeed pitches more in the third inning,” Barria said through an interpreter. “I started using my fastball more as the game went on to try to make some adjustments.”
Barria was removed with one out in the fifth after walking Crawford on five pitches. Barria threw just 71 pitches, but the Angels were being cautious with him in his first start. He was replaced by Matt Andriese, who gave up a go-ahead solo homer to José Marmolejos in the sixth that proved to be the difference.
“I thought Barria hit a wall there,” Maddon said. “Andriese picks him up, and then gives up the homer and we lose. But I think overall, the pitching has been better. And that’s what we need to do to ascend.”
But it was still an encouraging outing for Barria, who burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2018 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts but struggled last year with a 6.42 ERA in 82 2/3 innings.
"Every opportunity I get, I try to take advantage of it," Barria said. "That's the only thing I can control. I don't have control of the decisions of the general manager or manager. But I've been working hard to keep my focus and give it my all every time."