Angels News: Failed starter given another go around, floundering reliever sent down

Fans' expectations would have been sky-high if they were told during spring training that the Angels would only use five starting pitchers all the way through the All-Star break. Yes, the 2025 Los Angeles Angels were the first team in more than a decade to use exactly five starters through the first half of the season. However, the unit has improbably been below average (to put it mildly), which is the most Angels thing ever. The main culprit of the unit's poor production was Jack Kochanowicz, who got absolutely lit up by the Texas Rangers on July 10th and was then subsequently optioned down to Triple-A. When the second half of the season began, Ryan Zeferjahn opened a game in Kochanowicz's stead, which ended the Angels' historic streak.

Well, Kochanowicz is back in the major leagues after one start with the Salt Lake Bees, and the Angels correspondingly optioned José Fermin down to the Bees to make room on the roster. Kochanowicz will be squaring off against a guy named Jacob deGrom, and once again facing a red-hot Rangers lineup that tagged him for eight hits and eight runs in 2.2 innings earlier this month! The Angels' division rival is on a six-game win streak and pulling ahead of them in the wild card race, so the organization is truly throwing Kochanowicz into the fire tonight. Best of luck, kid!

Angels News: Failed starter given another go around, failing reliever sent back down

Here was the 24-year-old's pitch usage in his lone appearance with Triple-A: 73.6% sinkers, 20.9% changeups, 5.5% sliders. So, of the 91 pitches he threw on July 20th, 67 were sinkers, 19 were changeups and 5 were sliders. Kochanowicz's pitch usage in his 19 starts with the Angels this year was 47.2% sinkers, 18.2% 4S, 16.0% sliders, 12.9% changeups, 5.8% sweepers. It appears the Angels scrapped two of his pitches in Triple-A before calling him back up, but it's unlikely he will utilize just a three pitch mix against Texas. The team evaluators and fans will have Kochanowicz under the microscope tonight in his biggest start of his career.

Kochanowicz was striking out more batters this year than his league-worst K% in 2024, but he was regressing in a major way before getting sent down. Perhaps rattling his cage and getting him more uncomfortable with his standing will allow him to pitch with more urgency? All fans know is that this series versus Texas is massive for the team, and a Kochanowicz vs. deGrom matchup does not bode well for the Halos.

Speaking of ineffective pitchers, José Fermin posted an ERA of 16.88 coming out of the All-Star break. The Angels were unsustainably sporting a four-man rotation for their 10 games post ASB, and needed to get rid of a reliever off the major league roster to make room for another starter. Fermin's brutal stretch allowed the Angels to give him time to regroup in the minors, despite the optimism surrounding his development they previously voiced to the press.

When the Angels DFA'd and ultimately released Héctor Neris in June (who has a 2.57 ERA for the Astros right now), interim manager Ray Montgomery said, "Hector was great for the time he was here, in terms of what he brought to bullpen, settle down some of the young kids, gave a veteran presence. But when Fermin is here, obviously, he’s part of what’s going on going forward. And unfortunately, that’s just part of the game. Somebody has to be replaced.”

Fermin had a whopping 14.46 K/9 when Neris and he were both with the club, but that shrunk down to a 8.38 mark after Neris got axed. The last month, Fermin posted an 8.38 ERA, 9.48 FIP and a 1.97 WHIP before his latest demotion. The Angels will soldier on without him with a bullpen comprised of Kenley Jansen, Reid Detmers, Ryan Zeferjahn, Brock Burke, Sam Bachman, José Quijada, Connor Brogdon and Carson Fulmer.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout