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ARLINGTON, Texas — After Mike Trout admitted that he wasn’t seeing the ball well in Houston, he brought back a tiny, but crucial, part of his swing.
The Angels’ slugger has acknowledged that one of the main issues in his swing over the past couple years is getting his weight forward too soon, which causes his head to move, which means his eyes lose track of the ball.
To remedy that, at the end of last year he began using a tiny step back with his right foot just before he swings. He’s used it intermittently throughout the season, but on Sunday he acknowledged that it’s finally here to stay for the rest of the season.
If it seems like Trout should never have stopped doing it, that’s a thought that’s occurred to him too. “I’ve told myself that,” Trout said.
“Sometimes, if you’re not on time with it, that’s when things go wrong. I was just trying to keep it simple the last two weeks or so.
But I went back to it the last day in Houston, and I’m seeing the ball better.” The step was apparent when Trout hit a 109 mph double on Saturday. It was the first time since Aug.
13 that he had hit a ball over 105 mph. Since the All-Star break, Trout has seen his numbers slowly drop.
He went to the break with 18 homers and an .863 OPS. In the 33 games since he’s hit two homers with a .691 OPS.
He was in a 1-for-17 slump before getting two hits, including a blooper, on Saturday. “The biggest thing is my swing is just long,” Trout said.
“When I’m good, it’s short and compact and good things happen. Right now, I’m just up and out on a lot of pitches.
That’s just due to not recognizing stuff. I have an idea what they’re going to do to me, throwing me fastballs up and in.
I try to keep the same approach, but when my swing is short and quick, I hit those pitches. When it’s out and up and long, I swing under it.” For what it’s worth, Trout said his hitting is not the result of the extra wear on his legs from playing so much center field.
Trout, who was the DH on Sunday, has played 93 games in center this season, his most at that position since 2022. He didn’t play any last year.
He said he’s stuck to a maintenance routine he started in spring training, and it’s kept his legs fresh. He missed three weeks after tweaking his hamstring in June, but otherwise he’s played almost every day in center.
“I feel fine out there,” Trout said. “I’m just being really honest with myself when I nee d a DH day or a day off.
I talk with (manager Kurt Suzuki). Zuk’s been great with being open about it.
In the first month, he was coming up to me asking me ‘How are your legs doing? Do you need a day?
Do you need to DH?’ I basically told him, ‘Look, if I need something I’ll go up to you.’” When the Angels activated left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to start on Sunday, the designated reliever Michael Fulmer for assignment, which left them with six starting pitchers and seven relievers.
That causes two issues. First, the bullpen is not as deep, which could require more shuffling of the roster to keep enough fresh pitchers available.
Also, when there’s an off day, it could push starters to having six days rest between starts, which is not ideal. “It gets tricky,” Suzuki said.
“We haven’t gotten to that point yet of figuring that out. Besides, I think that’s more for the upstairs guys in the front office to figure out the math on that one.” Moisés Ballesteros got his first career major league start at first base on Sunday.
He had played four innings at the position last year with the Chicago Cubs. He’s also played 63 minor league games at first.
The Angels wanted to keep his bat in the lineup on Sunday, but they didn’t want him to catch a day game after a night game and they wanted the DH spot for Trout. … Right-handed reliever Ryan Watson has gotten some of the biggest outs on this trip.
He retired Yordan Alvarez to protect a lead on Tuesday, pitched a scoreless ninth on Friday and recorded a 1-2-3 save on Saturday. He has not allowed a run in his first six games after the Angels claimed him on waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
“Obviously the stuff’s good, but I kind of like the demeanor on the mound,” Suzuki said. “Nothing really fazes him and he attacks.” Guardians (LHP Parker Messick, 9-8, 2.54) at Angels (RHP George Klassen, 2-1, 3.74), Monday, 6:38 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM
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