Michael Lorenzen is hoping a return to familiar territory on Wednesday evening will pull him out of a winless streak that has stretched to six starts.
Lorenzen is scheduled to take the mound for the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
Colorado has won the first two games of the series and four of five overall.
Lorenzen was born and raised in Anaheim and went to high school in nearby Fullerton, Calif. The right-hander also played for the Angels during 2022, going 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA, one of the better seasons in his 12-year MLB career.
Lorenzen (2-7, 7.22 ERA) is hoping to find some of that success against his former team after going 0-5 in his past six outings with an 8.47 ERA.
He certainly won’t feel out of his element.
“This is home for me, so I love pitching at home,” Lorenzen said. “I still live here, so it’s good to sleep in my own bed.”
Lorenzen, who pitched his first seven MLB seasons with the Cincinnati Reds before coming to the Angels, is a big fan of the Southern California climate.
“It’s predictable,” he said. “Every time we’re on the East Coast somewhere, and we’re in a rain delay, I’m always like, ‘Think the Angels or the Padres or the Dodgers are in a rain delay right now?’ They’re not. They’re having a good time playing baseball.”
Lorenzen has made 11 appearances against the Angels in his career, including seven starts, and is 3-4 with a 3.80 ERA.
He will be opposed by the hottest pitcher in the Angels’ rotation, rookie right-hander Walbert Urena, who went 2-1 in six starts in May with a 1.64 ERA.
Urena (2-4, 2.44) most recently allowed one run and five hits in six innings against the Tampa Bay Rays last Friday. He did not receive a decision in the 8-5 loss, but has continued to impress first-year Angels manager Kurt Suzuki.
“Urena has been awesome,” Suzuki said. “You can see him maturing from when he got called up, was in the bullpen, and now being a starter. To see him go through the process of dealing with some failures during the game, and learning how to combat it, and keep progressing throughout the game, and not just letting it snowball.”
Urena came out of the bullpen in his first two appearances this season and has remained in the starting rotation since April 19.
“He taught himself English, for starters, and that just shows you the kind of guy he is,” Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “He cares, keeps his emotions in check, and he goes about his work in a professional way, so we love having him. I love catching him, and can’t say enough good things about him.”
The Angels could have shortstop Zach Neto back in the lineup after he missed the first two games of the series with neck soreness as a result of a home-plate collision with Rays left-hander Ian Seymour on Saturday.
“On Sunday I felt fine, honestly,” Neto said before Tuesday’s 8-2 loss. “I feel like, even on the flight on the way back home, I felt great. I felt like myself. I woke up (Monday) and it just hit me like a train.”
–Field Level Media
