After a year of flashes, left-hander Tyler Anderson, 34, who was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Los Angeles Angels, has turned into a subpar pitcher.
Anderson started a road game against the Houston Astros on April 13 and was tagged for seven runs on six hits (one homer), three walks, and six strikeouts in 4⅔ innings. Anderson took the loss as the Angels fell to 3-11.
Through three innings, Anderson had held the Houston offense scoreless, allowing just one hit and striking out four. But in the fourth, he gave up his first run on back-to-back singles, starting with a leadoff walk, and then gave up a three-run homer to Kyle Tucker. His changeup was down and away, leading to a long ball. Four runs in the blink of an eye.
In the fifth, he got two outs and then faltered. He gave up a double to Jose Altuve and then back-to-back walks to load the bases. He then gave up another RBI single to Tucker. Reliever Dominic Leon added two more runs and Anderson finished the game with a career-high seven earned runs.
According to MLB.com, Angels manager Phil Nevin lamented Anderson’s sudden struggles after the game, saying, “He had good command in the third inning, his changeup was on another level, and then he lost it in the fourth or fifth inning.”
It wasn’t just a one-game wonder. In 21 games (20 starts, 109 innings) this season, Anderson is 5-4 with a 5.28 ERA. This is not the same pitcher who was an All-Star last year with the Dodgers, going 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA in 30 games (28 starts, 178⅔ innings).
Anderson, who debuted with the Colorado Rockies in 2016 and then spent time with the San Francisco Giants in 2020, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021, and the Seattle Mariners, was a mediocre pitcher with a 4.62 ERA in six seasons during that span. But last year, when he joined the Dodgers as a one-year, $8 million free agent, he exceeded expectations. He took advantage of injuries to established starters like Clayton Kershaw and posted his first double-digit win season with 15 wins.
After the season, the Dodgers offered Anderson a one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer, but he declined and hit the market, signing a three-year, $39 million free agent deal with the Angels. The Dodgers had a higher average annualized value, but the Angels guaranteed him a multi-year deal, and he was expected to be a one-two punch with Shohei Ohtani.온라인카지노
But a year ago with the Dodgers, Anderson was nowhere to be found. Anderson, whose trademark is a double-kicking motion, is a finesse type, but his average velocity on his four-seam fastball has dropped slightly from 90.7 mph last year to 90.1 mph this year. His command has noticeably deteriorated, as his batted ball rate on his primary weapon, the changeup, has skyrocketed (.179→.256) and his walks per nine innings have jumped from 1.7 to 3.9.
As his pitch count increased, so did his innings pitched. Last year, he went six or more innings in 20 games for the Dodgers, but this year he’s only gone eight. He’s already passed mid-August with nine innings short of regulation and no rebound. Anderson’s struggles as a No. 2 starter have effectively eliminated the Angels from fall baseball contention, as they rank 21st in starting ERA (4.65). He has been a free agent bust since the first year of his three-year deal. Read more: /waw@osen.co.kr