Friday Newsletter time: Spencer Howard's first start was first step in Texas Rangers' plan for starter
The right-hander lasted 2 1/3 innings and 45 pitches, which was the pitch limit the Rangers set for him.
Spencer Howard seemed happy. Chris Woodward seemed happy. The Philadelphia Phillies might have been happy.
The right-hander made his Rangers debut Thursday afternoon, allowing three runs in 2 1/3 innings. He opened with two scoreless innings in a 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels before his stuff faded, as it did with Philadelphia, after a few innings and the Rangers decided he had thrown enough pitches.
While the shape of his off-speed pitches declined in the third, the velocity dip he had in Philadelphia wasn’t as pronounced with a few 95-mph heaters.
His pitch limit was 45, 30 of which were strikes. The Rangers are slowly building up Howard after he didn’t have a set role with the Phillies. The goal is 75-80 pitches by the end of the season.
“Not as sharp as I would have liked, but still things to learn from and things to build on,” Howard said. “I’m going to try to hammer mechanics as much as I can this next week. I’m just feeling a little off, and it’s translating into fastballs not really where I want and offspeed not spinning the way I want.”
He said that will improve the more he is allowed to pitch on a starter’s routine and with a steady diet of information from pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Brendan Sagara. Howard’s enthusiasm for his new team didn’t waver after the start.
Woodward said the Rangers have a program for Howard to follow, much of it information-based and some of which might be new to him. Improvement won’t be come overnight, especially if mechanics are involved.
And the Rangers aren’t deterred in their thinking that they stole Howard in the deadline deal for Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy and prospect Hans Crouse.
Howard struck out three, including Shohei Ohtani in the first, and walked two.
“We kept it right around the pitching limit that we wanted,” Woodward said. “The last inning the spin wasn’t as sharp, but the fastball was still coming out with life.“
Joey Jack in pinstripes
Joey Gallo finally hit his first home run since being traded to the New York Yankees in his sixth game, and it appeared to be a Yankee Stadium special.
The three-run shot traveled only 331 feet into the short right-field porch and had an expected batting average of only .200. It was hit with a 48-degree launch angle, though with an exit velocity of 110 mph.
He’s hit a few of those this season and in his career. He’s probably going to hit more of them at Yankee Stadium.
It was key shot that lifted the Yankees from a 3-2 seventh-inning hole to a 5-3 victory.
Gallo also collected two doubles on a 3-for-4 night that lifted his average since the trade from .087 to .185. He’s hitting .220 overall with a .859 OPS.
Card of the week
I teased this last week, so I’m going to follow through with the story behind this week’s card of the week — a Mike Trout 2011 Topps Update rookie card with a Beckett Grading Service of 9.5.
Technically, the card belongs to my son as a gift from Anthony Andro. At the time Anthony gave me the card to stick in Henry’s collection, Henry was 2 or 3 and the Trout card was worth $20.
Well, as the years went by, the value of the card kept climbing. It then soared during the pandemic as people looked for alternate ways to invest their money. Many put their COVID bucks to work in the card market.
My neighbor is Bill Sliheet, who owns Superior Sports Investments with his brother Sam. Bill looked over some of my collection and strong recommended that I get it graded.
The value has dipped some the past few months with Trout on the injured list, but that card has sold recently on eBay for as much as $2,100.
Anthony might remind me of that from time to time.
Doggy video!
Be careful out there. Big brother and his brother are watching. Enjoy. See you Monday.
