TEMPE, Ariz. – Hector Santiago’s screwball is not just a once-in-a-while gimmick any more.
In his first appearance with the Angels, Santiago threw four screwballs in 49 pitches in a 3-2 loss to the Oakland A’s on Sunday. He said he only threw a few in a game last year with the Chicago White Sox.
“If it’s like today, I’ll throw 30 times a game,” Santiago said. “It hasn’t been like that in a while, since 2011 or the beginning of 2012.”
Santiago said the White Sox told him to throw it slow and infrequently, using it for more as a showcase pitch than an actual weapon. The Angels, though, are letting Santiago throw it how he wants, harder and more often.
Santiago is one of the few pitchers in the majors who throws a screwball, which is like a slider but with the opposite wrist action on the ball. He started tinkering with it in winter ball in 2009, and it took him two years before he used it in a game.
The results were as good as could be expected in Sunday’s start against the Oakland A’s. He got two outs – a groundout and a strikeout – and two other swings and misses with the screwball.
BLANTON’S DEBUT
Joe Blanton waited almost six months for Sunday, when he finally got to test out his tweaked delivery in a competitive setting. Blanton said he figured out a fix he needed to make toward the end of last season, but he didn’t get to pitch in a game.
On Sunday, he gave up two runs in 21/3 innings, allowing hits to the first three hitters before retiring seven of the of the last eight batters.
“It looked like he had better deception,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “The ball was down. His fastball-changeup combo was in play. Overall it’s a step forward for Joe.”
Blanton said one of the main changes he made was closing his body so he could hide the ball better from hitters.
NOTES
Scioscia said Josh Hamilton has “made a lot of progress the couple days.” Hamilton has been out because of a strained left calf for about a week. He is expected to miss at least another week. …
Albert Pujols is still looking for his first hit two games into his spring training, but he said he’s feeling much better in his legs than he did last spring. He showed some mobility when he ranged to catch a foul popup.
Contact the writer: jlfletcher@ocregister.com
