ANAHEIM — Josh Lowe, who was sent to the minors last month with a .184 average, admitted that the start to his season in the majors changed his mindset.
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When Lowe returned to the majors Wednesday for what could be a brief stay – José Siri went on the paternity list – he was asked if he’d lost his confidence before the demotion.
“Not necessarily lost my confidence,” Lowe said. “I just maybe had a greater respect of how hard the game actually is sometimes. Sometimes you feel like you’re invincible as a baseball player and you need to be humbled a little bit. I wouldn’t say I lost my confidence, but just kind of, you know, realizing what it takes day in and day out to be successful at this level.”
The Angels acquired Lowe last winter with the hope that he be the player he was in 2023, before two years in which he fought through oblique injuries. Lowe missed time this spring with an oblique injury – on the other side – and then he never got anything going.
Since going down to Triple-A, it’s been better. Lowe was hitting .299 with nine homers and a 1.014 OPS in 26 games with Salt Lake.
“I think every hitter wants to swing at better pitches, and when you swing at better pitches, you usually get better results and that’s something that I was trying to focus on and just going out and being myself,” he said. “Dominating when I’m on the field. Whether it’s hitting balls over the fence, putting the ball in play, stealing bases, catching balls in the outfield. Just go out and play and be free-styled. Kind of what I do.”
Lowe, 28, remains under control to the Angels for at least the next two seasons, so he’s still got time to figure things out and be productive in the majors.
This stint could be short, though. Siri can miss a maximum of three days on the paternity list, so he’ll be back Friday or Saturday.
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BETTER DAYS
Right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn struck out all three hitters he faced in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s victory, running his streak to eight consecutive appearances without allowing a run.
Zeferjahn has not given up a hit in nine innings in those games, with 17 strikeouts. He’s still walked nine, though.
Prior to this stretch, Zeferjahn had allowed eight earned runs in six innings in his previous eight games. That included two blown saves.
Manager Kurt Suzuki said he’s been working on some mechanical tweaks with pitching coaches Mike Maddux, Darryl Scott and Dom Chiti. He pointed out that the fastball velocity has also gone up. Zeferjahn’s average of 99 mph with his fastball Tuesday was the highest it’s been all season.
NOTES
Suzuki gave days off to shortstop Zach Neto, right fielder Jo Adell and catcher Logan O’Hoppe on Wednesday. O’Hoppe normally gets one day off per series, and Neto and Adell have barely had any days off this season. Suzuki said he liked the idea of giving them a day off the day before a scheduled day off, so they essentially get two days off for the price of one game. …
Right-hander Ben Joyce is still throwing bullpen sessions in Arizona, Suzuki said. So far he’s only thrown fastballs, but he’s soon going to “start mixing in some spin,” Suzuki said. Joyce (shoulder surgery) was on the verge of being activated before he was shut down about a month ago, and now he’s slowly working back. …
Mike Trout (hamstring) did more agility drills on the field Wednesday morning.
UP NEXT
A’s (TBD) at Angels (RHP Walbert Ureña, 5-5, 2.41), 6:38 p.m. Friday, ABTV, 830 AM