LOS ANGELES -- Facing the high-powered Dodgers offense, right-hander Jack Kochanowicz decided to change things up on Friday night. Literally.
Kochanowicz leaned heavily on his changeup, a pitch he usually doesn’t throw often, and used it to his advantage to throw a season-high 6 2/3 innings to help lead the Angels to a 6-2 win in the Freeway Series opener at Dodger Stadium.
Of his 104 pitches, Kochanowicz threw his changeup 26 times for 25% of his pitches, which was way above his season average of throwing his changeup 4.7% of the time. It helped keep Dodgers hitters off-balance as he allowed just one run on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts to improve to 3-5 with a 4.71 ERA in nine starts this season.
“I felt great,” Kochanowicz said. “Felt like I stayed in my zone, stayed down under the zone the whole time. The changeup has definitely been a work in progress, but I used it well tonight. I just hit my spots and felt great about that.”
It was an effective offering, as Kochanowicz registered four swings and misses with it and two called strikes, including striking out both Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts swinging on his changeup in the sixth inning. He paired it with his sinker, which helped him generate four double-play grounders, including getting Shohei Ohtani to ground into his first double play of the season in the fifth.
Kochanowicz said the changeup is something he’s been working on all season and it’s finally starting to click so he can throw it with the same motion as his sinker, which adds deception and also makes it easier to repeat his delivery.
“I love throwing my sinker to everybody, but now I have that changeup on the same line,” Kochanowicz said. “I've been working on it a little bit in my bullpens each week. I've just been kind of trying to get to a mechanical spot, like throwing it from a better point.
“Once I got there, the sinker gets better and the changeup gets a lot better. So once I got to that point, it's the same pitch, it's the same feel.”
Kochanowicz’s lone rough inning came in the fourth inning, when he gave up a one-out single to Will Smith and an RBI double to Max Muncy. But he was able to strand Muncy in scoring position by getting Andy Pages to ground out to third base before striking out Michael Conforto on a changeup to escape trouble.
“Tonight against that lineup, he was really good,” manager Ron Washington said. “He got a lot of ground balls. When he does that, his sinker is working. He threw some good changeups in some situations, started some hitters off with some breaking balls. So he had a good mix.”
Washington also believes the changeup can be a difference-maker for Kochanowicz but noted the importance of locating the pitch, which is something the 24-year-old did well against the Dodgers.
“It was effective,” Washington said. “And the good thing about it and what made it effective was he put it over the plate. So they had to offer at it. He was outstanding tonight.”
Kochanowicz came back out for the seventh despite being at 93 pitches and walked Muncy on five pitches to open the frame. But he promptly got Pages to ground into a double play before walking Conforto on four pitches to end his night. Right-hander Héctor Neris relieved Kochanowicz and struck out James Outman to end the inning.
It was an impressive showing from Kochanowicz, who is looking to get back on track after a strong rookie season last year.
“He's a dog,” shortstop Zach Neto said. “To go up against that lineup and do what he did -- inducing that many double plays and keeping them on their toes -- it's very special. It just shows how much character and confidence he has as a player.”
For a second straight start, Kochanowicz also received early run support. Yoán Moncada got things started with a two-run homer off right-hander Dustin May in the first inning before Neto tacked on two runs with a double with the bases loaded in the fourth. Nolan Schanuel added a couple insurance runs with a two-run single in the ninth after Ohtani homered in the eighth.
“We needed every run, especially against that club,” Washington said. “But Jack was the guy tonight, shutting that club down offensively the way he did.”