SAN FRANCISCO — It should not have been a surprise to anyone who has closely watched the Angels that Vaughn Grissom was the one who hit a game-tying homer in the eighth inning Friday.
Read more Will Irvine get a minor league baseball team? Council to consider Great Park deal
Grissom is now hitting .297 with four homers and a 1.069 OPS in “late and close” situations. Those are defined as the seventh inning or later, with the batting team tied, ahead by one or with the tying run at least on deck.
Earlier this week, he hit a game-tying double in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Grissom said he doesn’t have a particularly different approach in those at-bats, but it helps that they come after he’s already been up three or four times.
“You kind of gather your information throughout the day of what you think’s going to work and come up with your plan,” Grissom said. “I guess most of the time I’m just trying to get a good ball to hit and don’t miss it.”
His clutch ability also shows up early in games. He’s hitting .297 in all at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position.
“I try not to be too prideful in it, because any time it could change,” Grissom said, “but I trust myself in those positions for sure. I always feel like, when those situations come up, it’s just you competing against the other guy, rather than trying to fiddle with this or do this or do that. It’s just me against you.”
Manager Kurt Suzuki said he likes Grissom’s approach in those spots.
“I definitely think it’s a mindset,” Suzuki said. “Vaughnny wants to be in those spots. I’m not saying other people don’t, but I think with Griss, he really enjoys being in those moments and he wants to come through. He does a good job of controlling his emotions and keeping everything under control to be able to come up with the big hit. I think that’s something that you really don’t teach.”
Read more Oregon firefighters brace for windy and hot weather as they battle dozens of blazes
TRADE TALK
With just over a week to go before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, everyone around the Angels knows franchise-shaking moves could be coming.
Suzuki said it’s not to the point that he needs to have a conversation with any of the players about it, though.
“It’s the elephant in the room, right?” Suzuki said. “Everybody knows what’s happening. But unless I feel like a conversation is warranted, I just let them go about their business. I feel like they’re professionals. They know what they have to do. If I see something that warrants a conversation, I’ll have one. But for the most part, I feel like those guys come out every day ready to play.
“That being said, obviously it’s probably in the back of their minds. When I played, it was in the back of my mind. But that’s just part of the job. You sign up for this. This is what happens. The only thing you can control is going out there and preparing and playing every day.”
NOTES
The Angels are still unsure if they want right-hander Ben Joyce (shoulder surgery) to pitch back-to-back games at Triple-A before he returns to the majors, Suzuki said. “That’s a good question,” Suzuki said. “As of right now, I don’t have an answer for you, but I think as we get closer to him feeling ready, we’ll decide if we think a back-to-back is warranted or if we feel like he’s ready to come up now. I think right now we’re just kind of letting him do his progression.” …
Catcher Travis d’Arnaud (plantar fasciitis) and infielder Adam Frazier (elbow) “both came out feeling good” after playing at Triple-A on Friday night, Suzuki said. D’Arnaud caught seven innings. Frazier played the whole game at second.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP José Soriano, 8-6, 3.43) at Giants (LHP Carson Whisenhunt, 2-0, 3.38), 1:05 p.m. Sunday, ABTV, 830 AM
Read more Andy Lippman, beloved bureau chief who directed many of AP’s biggest stories, dies at 78