Los Angeles Times - 07.03.2020

D6 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

BASEBALL

ever is going to keep me in

the big leagues, but my ulti-

mate goal is that I want to be

a starter,” said Ferguson,

whose fastball also reaches

the mid-90s. “So for me, to

develop a third pitch now

while I have the time to do it

right, it’s big.”

PHOENIX — After
throwing his fourth score-
less inning of the spring
Thursday, Dodgers left-
hander Caleb Ferguson re-
ceived high praise from his
manager.
“He’s a man on a mission
right now,” Dave Roberts
said. “Which is good to see.”
Really, Ferguson is on
several missions this spring.
In the short term, the 23-
year-old wants to make the
Dodgers’ opening day roster
in a deep bullpen with few
unsettled spots. He is sev-
eral months into the process
of developing a third pitch to
go along with his current
fastball-curveball reper-
toire.
And, someday, he hopes
to become a big league start-
er.
“I know I’m better than
what I was last year,” said
Ferguson, who recorded a
4.84 ERA in 46 games (44 re-
lief appearances) last year,
his second major league sea-
son. “I’m trying to prove that
to people, prove myself
that.”
Ferguson’s 2019 cam-
paign ended where his 2020
season is starting, at the
Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch

complex. Though he gave up

only five earned runs and

struck out 20 batters over his

final 16 appearances last

season, Ferguson didn’t

make the team’s National

League Division Series ros-

ter. Instead, he went to Ari-

zona and stayed warm just

in case. It was from there he

watched the Dodgers’ sea-

son end.

“That part was a little bit

hard,” he said. “But it is what

it is.”

Days after the Dodgers

were eliminated, Ferguson

was back on the mound do-

ing dry work. Over the next

three months, he split most

of his time hunting or throw-

ing, taking only one week off

before reporting for camp.

Through four innings this

spring, in which he has yet to

let a hitter reach base, he al-

ready looks close to regular-

season form.

“The ability to shorten

the breaking ball, to get back

into a count, that’s been

really good,” Roberts said.

The breaking ball has

been Ferguson’s primary fo-

cus of late. Not his curveball,

a looping pitch he threw

more than 20% of the time

last season according to

Fangraphs, but a new third

pitch he hopes will elevate

his game.

“It’s a slider, but I call it a

cutter,” said Ferguson. “I

just call it a cutter so I can

keep the same intent to re-

member to throw it as hard

as I can, not turn it into an-

other breaking ball.”

Ferguson thinks the im-

pact of the pitch — which he

said he’s thrown more often

this spring than his trade-

mark curveball — could be

twofold, potentially giving

him the extra boost to make

the Dodgers’ 26-man roster

and be considered a poten-

tial starting pitcher in the fu-

ture, a role the former 38th-

round draft pick served dur-

ing most of his minor league

career.

“Obviously, I’ll do what-

Ferguson recalled a con-

versation he had with Clay-

ton Kershaw last season.

Like the 6-foot-3, 226-pound

Ferguson, Kershaw was

once a young burly left-

hander with a blistering fast-

ball and hard-breaking

curve searching for another

pitch.

Kershaw told Ferguson of

a moment early in his career,

when Dodgers coaches ap-

proached the future Hall of

Famer and encouraged him

to add something else. Soon

after, he developed a slider.

The rest is history.

“That’s when it hit home

to me,” Ferguson said. “OK, I

need a third pitch.”

So far, the results of Fer-

guson’s slider have been

mostly positive. Against the

Arizona Diamondbacks last

month, he executed two in

an at-bat against Nick Ah-

med to near perfection, lead-

ing to a weak popup on the

infield. Even when the A’s

Matt Chapman squared up a

hanging offering Thursday,

it resulted in only a line out.

“Some guys in here have

to put up results in the

spring to have a spot on the

roster,” Ferguson said,

keenly aware of his own in-

clusion in that group.

“There’s obviously locks in

the bullpen. ... But guys who

are on the fringe, I think re-

sults and how you go about

everything matters. The big-

gest thing for me this spring

is to continue to work on the

third pitch, continue to de-

velop that.”

Third pitch may be start for Ferguson

Left-hander hopes

slider/cutter will help

him stand out on

Dodgers’ staff.

By Jack Harris

TEMPE, Ariz. — Angels

starting pitcher Griffin

Canningwill stop throwing

for about a month as he re-

covers from soreness in his

right elbow.

The Angels announced

Friday that Canning would

receive an injection of bio-

logical substances in an ef-

fort to heal elbow joint in-

flammation that cropped up

after his first spring training

start. Canning will start the

season, which opens March

26, on the injured list. That

will mark his third time be-

ing designated as inactive

because of elbow issues

since August.

As they exercise caution

with one of their promising

pitchers, the Angels might

be forced to carry at least

one inexperienced starter

on their opening day roster

to follow Andrew Heaney,

Julio Teheranand Dylan

Bundyin the rotation.

Youngsters Patrick San-

doval and Jose Suarez, who

were both called up last sea-

son prematurely, have im-

pressed new manager Joe

Maddon this spring. Suarez

has thrown eight innings

across three games and al-

lowed only one run and three

hits. He struck out four bat-

ters in his start against the

Kansas City Royals on Fri-

day. Sandoval, slowed by the

flu early in spring training,

has made only one Cactus

League appearance.

The Angels have treated

several pitchers for elbow in-

juries with injections in re-

cent years. Heaney, JC Ra-

mirez and Shohei Ohtani

each received platelet-rich

plasma shots to try to avoid

Tommy John surgery. None

escaped the knife.

There is no evidence that

Canning faces a problem as

serious as theirs. Canning

underwent an MRI exam

last week that revealed only

normal wear and tear on his

ulnar collateral ligament.

Anaheim sued

The Angels’ agreement

to buy their stadium from

the city of Anaheim should

be declared “null and void,”

according to a lawsuit filed in

Orange County Superior

Court.

The suit, filed on behalf of

a citizen group called the

People’s Homeless Task

Force, alleges the city vio-

lated state law by negotiat-

ing the deal with a “lack of

transparency ... orches-

trated with an intent to keep

interested members of the

public, and even dissenting

councilmembers, in the

dark.”

Kelly Aviles, the attorney

for the group, said the city

would be welcome to redo

the deal with full public par-

ticipation in negotiations.

Staff writer Bill Shaikin

contributed to this report.

Canning out for

at least a month

By Maria Torres

GRIFFIN CANNING

felt elbow soreness after

his first spring start.

Alex GallardoAssociated Press

ANGELS REPORT

bit of give to it,” Bundy said.

“Now you squeeze it and

you’re gonna break your

thumbs.”

Bundy believes pitchers

who use foreign substances

such as Go Go Juice are mo-

tivated by improving their

control and not their stuff.

Other foreign substances,

such as saliva, have been

used illegally for decades to

create additional movement

on pitches.

“I think there’s probably

certain substances that can

help with spin rate and oth-

ers that can probably keep

the hitters a little more safe

than they would be on cold

days,” Callaway said.

Bundy said an improved

grip can help pitchers hit

their spots, and embolden

them to use the inside part of

the plate.

“When you’re trying to

throw on the inner half of the

plate, you’re talking about a

window of two inches of it be-

ing a home run, and four

inches inside, you know,

kind of getting the hitter rat-

tled a little bit,” Bundy said.

“I think some substances

can help a pitcher control

the ball better in that sense,

so we’re not hitting guys left

and right and letting the ball

sail, or a two-seamer run-

ning too far inside.”

Dodgers manager Dave

Roberts said MLB’s goal

should be to have uniformity

in how baseballs are pre-

pared.

“Whether you’re in Arizo-

na or Denver, the feel of the

baseball ... at some point it’s

a health concern as far as

command when you’re

throwing the ball 95 to 100

mph,” Roberts said.

“Balls are not [all]

rubbed up exactly the same

way. It’s difficult to do be-

cause every ballpark, every

ball, is different. We’re trying

to be mindful of that, but as

far as [banning] foreign sub-

stances, we’re all on board

with that.”

This spring, during a

meeting with team officials

to discuss various issues —

including the enforcement

of the rule barring the use of

foreign substances and a

warning that intentionally

hitting Houston Astros bat-

ters would not be tolerated

— league executives heard

reports about Harkins’ al-

leged involvement in supply-

ing substances to pitchers to

improve their grip.

The league alerted the

Angels to those reports but

did not conduct an investi-

gation or mandate the team

fire Harkins, according to a

person familiar with the

matter but not authorized to

discuss it publicly. The An-

gels acted on their own to de-

termine Harkins’ culpabil-

ity, the person said.

In addition to notifying

teams that it plans to en-

force the rule against apply-

ing foreign substances to the

ball, MLB also is exploring

whether the ball used in

Japan, which many pitchers

say offers a better grip, could

be of use in modifying the

MLB balls.

“If, in fact, [foreign sub-

stances] go away, they’re go-

ing to have to alter the base-

ball somehow and provide a

tackiness to the ball,” Angels

manager Joe Maddon said.

“It’s done like that I think in

Japan, Taiwan, South Ko-

rea. The Asian baseball is

tackier. I think the concern

with their baseball is that it

doesn’t have the same carry

as our baseball, which I’m

fine with too.”

Staff writer Bill Shaikin

contributed to this report.

on it, that’s fine, if guys are

using it to gain an advan-

tage.”

One possible solution

would be for MLB to develop

a universal substance that

pitchers could use for better

grips but that wouldn’t pro-

vide a competitive advan-

tage. New Jersey Mud is

sourced from the New Jersey

side of the Delaware River

and doesn’t improve grip

enough for many pitchers.

“They haven’t really

talked to us,” Angels pitch-

ing coach Mickey Callaway

said. “We’ll see what hap-

pens, but I suspect there will

be no substances [allowed]

at all.”

What would the game

look like if pitchers weren’t

allowed to use any substan-

ces to improve their grip?

“If I were a hitter, I’d be

scared to dig into the box [in

cold weather],” Callaway

said. “The percentage of hit

batters would probably go

up, and probably in more

dangerous areas. When guys

go in right now, it’s always

dangerous, but there’s going

to be more accidental, pur-

poseful pitches in.”

Angels shortstop Andrel-

ton Simmons said he would

not relish the prospect of hit-

ting against a flame-throw-

ing pitcher on a cold, dry

night if that pitcher didn’t

have a grip on where his fast-

ball was going.

“I understand pitchers

using something,” Simmons

said. “I don’t know where the

line is, whether it’s too much

[substance] or not.”

New Angels pitcher Dy-

lan Bundy said the ball being

used today “is definitely

slicker” than when he was

drafted in 2011 and called up

to the big leagues in 2012.

“You could squeeze the

ball and actually see a little

thing from somewhere, cre-
ating their own. Bullfrog and
rosin. Whatever they want to
do.”
Bullfrog is a sunscreen
widely used in baseball as
well as other outdoor sports.
Baseballs used in MLB
are given to umpires before
every game. An attendant in
the umpire’s room rubs
eight dozen to 12 dozen base-
balls with a concoction
known as New Jersey Mud,
which removes the sheen
from the balls and improves
the grip for pitchers.
Major league rules pro-
hibit pitchers from applying
any type of foreign item or
substance, including pine
tar, dirt or saliva, and a fail-
ure to follow the rule results
in an ejection and automatic
10-game suspension.
Cincinnati Reds pitcher
Trevor Bauer recently told
“Real Sports” that 70% of
pitchers use some sort of
substance — which can be
hidden in gloves, on caps, on
skin and even in hair — to en-
hance their grip.
The question of whether
pitchers use foreign sub-
stances to improve their
grip, especially in cold or dry
weather and at higher alti-
tudes, or to increase their
spin rate to produce nastier
breaking balls is open to de-
bate.
“I’m sure everybody tries
to do it for a different rea-
son,” Heaney said. “To me,
those balls are chalky and
slick. I don’t throw that
hard, but I throw pretty
hard, and I like to know
where it’s going. I’m sure hit-
ters would tell you the same
thing. When you have dudes
throwing 100 mph, they want
to know where it’s going too.
“I would love a solution. If
they’re going to crack down

ANDREW HEANEYadmits he has used substances to better grip the ball, and says most pitchers do. “It’s not
a huge secret,” he said. “No one thinks it’s shocking that people are using sticky stuff on their fingers.”

Kent NishimuraLos Angeles Times

Cracking down on substances

[Angels,from D1]

Seattle 9, Dodgers 3

AT THE PLATE:After getting hit by a pitch Wednesday night,

third baseman Justin Turner returned to the lineup Friday

and recorded a base hit. Shortstop Corey Seager had two

hits, including a double, and scored two runs. Infielder Gavin

Lux tacked on a single as the designated hitter.

ON THE MOUND:Ross Stripling continued to get stretched

out, giving up one run in a three-inning start. The

right-hander, who is hoping to crack the starting rotation but

seems likely to return to the swingman bullpen role he

served last season, surrendered four hits, struck out three

and yielded a solo home run to the Mariners’ Jake Fraley

while continuing to work on his new changeup grip. ...

Reliever Dennis Santana pitched his fifth scoreless inning of

the spring. Afterward, manager Dave Roberts said the

23-year-old prospect is “right there at the front of the

conversation” for earning a roster spot in the bullpen. “If

you’re talking about standouts up to this point in camp,”

Roberts said, “he’s at the top of the list.”

EXTRA BASES:Outfielder Mookie Betts was a last-minute

scratch after coming down with a stomachache. “A couple

hours before the game, he just said he wasn’t feeling well,

couldn’t keep his food down,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if

it was something he ate. Trying to get him in there tomorrow

potentially, but to run him in there tonight made no sense.”

... Chris Taylor could return Saturday from soreness in the

back of his left shoulder, an injury he suffered when he was

hit by a pitch a week ago. ... Reliever Blake Treinen is

scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Saturday.

UP NEXT:The Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies on

Saturday at Camelback Ranch. David Price is scheduled to

make his second start of the spring. TV: SportsNet LA, noon

PST.

— Jack Harris

Kansas City 4, Angels 3 (SS)

Angels 4, Kansas City 4 (SS)

AT THE PLATE: Mike Trout hit a home run over the berm in

left-center field at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The monster shot

gave the Angels a 3-1 lead in the third inning. It was Trout’s

first extra-base hit of the spring. ... Prospect Jo Adell

doubled on the road. He is batting .316 (six for 19) in seven

Cactus League games.

ON THE MOUND:Left-hander Jose Suarez pitched in Tempe

and allowed one run and two hits over three innings, his first

outing this spring giving up a run. The run scored when left

fielder Justin Upton lost a fly ball in the sun. ... Dillon Peters

threw three scoreless innings on the road in front of

manager Joe Maddon, who traveled to the Royals’ complex

in part because he wanted to watch the left-hander work.

Peters has allowed one run in 7^1 ⁄ 3 innings this spring. He is

vying for a spot on the opening day roster, likely as a swing

man.

UP NEXT:The Angels will host the Arizona Diamondbacks

on Saturday at noon PST. Julio Teheranis scheduled to start.

TV: Prime Ticket. Radio: AM 830.

— Maria Torres

CALEB FERGUSONpitched in 46 games last season

but wasn’t named to the postseason roster.

Tony AvelarAssociated Press