Angels reliever Brock Burke believes he’s turned a corner
ANAHEIM — Brock Burke is finally feeling like himself again.
The Angels’ left-hander began the season as one of their high leverage relievers, but a miserable outing in the season’s first week told him something wasn’t right.
He said he figured out the problem about a week ago.
“This last week I’m feeling more and more comfortable with what I’m doing,” Burke said on Sunday. “Being able to go out there and execute pitches is the only concern.”
Burke got through 1⅓ scoreless innings on Saturday night, working around a hit and a walk. He referred to it as a “clean-ish” outing. Still, it was his third straight appearance in which he didn’t allow a run.
“When you’re working through things, you’re probably not working at 100% right where you want to be, and letting the ball rip and confident about it,” Burke said. “But yesterday, I felt like I was able to let a couple rip and actually know where they were going. I’m excited where I am and I think it’s just gonna keep building from there.”
Burke joined the Angels last August, after he was released by the Texas Rangers. The Angels suggested he move his starting position on the rubber, and it paid immediate dividends. Burke had a 3.54 ERA with the Angels, including 25 strikeouts in 20⅓ innings.
Things began to go wrong this year on April 2 at St. Louis, when he gave up four runs while recording just two outs.
“That outing I had in St. Louis was really bad, and made me go re-evaluate,” Burke said. “It was one of those outings where I didn’t feel very comfortable up there with the stuff I had. Even though I was throwing really hard, I was not getting the ball where it needs to go. It was a mechanical thing. I’ve been just trying to get back to where I was comfortable with my mechanics.”
Burke said the turning point was last Sunday’s outing at Dodger Stadium. He gave up a single and hit a batter — both of whom scored when Shaun Anderson allowed a homer after he was removed — but Burke nonetheless felt like he’d discovered the mechanical flaw.
Manager Ron Washington said he’s been encouraged by what Burke has done in the last week, including Saturday night.
“That’s a start,” Washington said. “Now we’ve just got to watch every outing that he gets from here on out and make that read.”
TROUT UPDATE
Mike Trout, who is rehabbing from a bruised left knee, had the day off from his rehab on Sunday, but he is scheduled to run the bases sometime in the next few days.
Running the bases is the last hurdle for Trout, but he’s probably going to have to do it more than once.
“I don’t have an idea on the timeline yet,” Washington said. “We’re still checking boxes. But it’s soon. Exactly the date, I can’t give that to you right now.”
NOTES
Shortstop Zach Neto was out of the lineup on Sunday, for the first time since he was activated from the injured list on April 18. He had played 33 consecutive games. “He has been going since the day he arrived, and I thought today was a good day to give him his day off,” Washington said. “And if you look, he’s looking tired.” …
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe also had the day off. It was a natural choice for a day off for O’Hoppe because it was a day game after a night game and Washington prefers Travis d’Arnaud to catch when Kyle Hendricks pitches. …
Right-hander Caden Dana, who was sent back to Triple-A after his three-inning relief outing on Saturday, showed Washington something by taking on two scoreless innings after he allowed three runs in a 41-pitch seventh inning. “The kid sucked it up, and he went out there and gave us those two innings, and they were two quality innings,” Washington said. “Just think about that type of stuff. It was hard on him to have to come in in that game, after being a starter, preparing to be a starter, and then he gets out there, and he wasn’t comfortable to start, but then he got comfortable. So that’s a good thing.” …
The Angels called up left-hander Jake Eder to take Dana’s place as the long reliever.
UP NEXT
Yankees (LHP Ryan Yarbrough, 1-0, 3.38) at Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 3-5, 5.03), Monday, 6:38 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM