by / MLB.com
TEMPE, Ariz. — Hector Santiago threw about 20 offseason bullpen sessions before arriving at the Angels’ Spring Training facility, the last one at more than 90 pitches and all of them geared toward slowing everything down on the mound.
Then he started the Angels’ Cactus League opener Thursday, and that new between-innings clock began. Hitters weren’t stepping out of the box as frequently and everything started to move really fast again. Santiago got through his two-inning outing without any damage, giving up a hit, a walk and a strikeout while throwing 33 pitches in the Angels’ 3-2 win over the Brewers.
But the nerves were certainly there at the start.
“That first inning, my heart was beating,” Santiago said. “I started breaking a sweat before I even threw a pitch. It was really intense. But it was fun.”
Santiago’s opponent, Brewers starter Kyle Lohse (Nomlaki Tribe of Indians), seemed calm from the get-go.
The 36-year-old right-hander gave up a run — on an RBI infield single by Mike Trout off Ariel Pena — but he didn’t walk anyone, struck out three and came back out for the third inning, recording a couple of outs because he still hadn’t reached his 30-pitch limit.
“It felt really good,” Lohse said. “It was kind of a continuation of what I’ve been doing in my bullpens and my live BPs. I was going out and just doing what I normally do — get ahead of guys and try to mix it up.”
Story originally appears at: http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/111382760/kyle-lohse-looks-sharp-in-brewers-meeting-with-angels
