NEW YORK -- After posting a 7.94 ERA and averaging fewer than four innings per start through his first three outings in June, right-hander Jack Kochanowicz faced a stern test against a powerful but recently scuffling Yankees lineup on Wednesday.
Kochanowicz responded by registering a career-high eight strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings to bounce back in a 3-2 Angels win in his first career start at Yankee Stadium. He had previously never struck out more than six batters in any of his 25 career outings, but credited a new changeup grip that he debuted in his last start in Baltimore for his success.
"It’s very cool, especially against a lineup like that,” Kochanowicz said. “It’s not a part of my game. But I’m just happy we got the win. I think these last two weeks, I've just felt a little better mechanically and just more synced up. Being able to trust my body to really let it eat.”
It was the third straight strong start in the Bronx for the Angels, as José Soriano hurled seven scoreless frames in Monday’s 1-0 win in extras and Kyle Hendricks turned in six scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 4-0 victory.
Kochanowicz, however, didn’t factor into the decision, as the Angels didn’t take the lead until the eighth on a critical error by Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe on what should’ve been a routine double play with the bases loaded and one out.
Manager Ron Washington was quick to credit Kochanowicz as helping to set the tone in the win.
"He was good,” Washington said. “Gave up two runs against that team. Our guys have been pitching well.”
It was clear early that Kochanowicz had it going, as he struck out Trent Grisham to open his outing and followed it up with a strikeout of Aaron Judge. Judge's strikeout was on a sinker, while Grisham's came on the changeup -- a pitch that the sinkerballer has been working to improve recently.
Four of Kochanowicz's eight strikeouts came on the changeup.
He credited pitching coach Barry Enright for helping him find a new grip that pairs better with his sinker. It’s also coming out harder, as it averaged 90.9 mph on Wednesday, which is roughly 1.5 mph faster than his season average of 89.5 mph. Of the 12 swings and misses he induced, six came with the changeup.
"It felt great,” Kochanowicz said. “I used it a little bit last time, but just got a lot more comfortable with it today. Barry gave me a new grip. I've been trying to find a changeup that matches the same spin as my sinker for a while. I saw a 94 [mph] on one and was surprised. But I’m just trusting the grip a lot, so I'm really just throwing it and letting it do the work.”
But he gave up a solo homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. with one out in the second, as he fell behind in the count and threw a 2-0 sinker over the middle that Chisholm was able to keep just fair down the right-field line. It snapped a 30-inning scoreless streak for the Yankees going back to Saturday against the Red Sox.
Kochanowicz also allowed a solo shot to Cody Bellinger in the fourth on an 0-1 changeup that caught too much of the plate. It gave the Yankees their first lead of the series, but Jo Adell responded with a solo blast of his own in the fifth to tie the game. It was the second solo homer of the game for the Angels, after Nolan Schanuel went deep in the first.
Kochanowicz’s biggest issue was again his control. The homers were the only hits he allowed, but he did issue three walks. He’s walked 36 batters in 15 starts this year, compared to just 10 in 11 outings as a rookie last year.
He opened the sixth by walking Grisham but remained in the game to face Judge. He struck out Judge on a changeup and was relieved by lefty Brock Burke, who threw a scoreless inning in relief. Even with his elevated strikeout total, Kochanowicz was still mostly efficient, throwing 90 pitches, with 55 going for strikes.
And he was able to hold Judge hitless in his three at-bats against him. Judge has gone 1-for-11 this series, including flying out to center in a key at-bat in the eighth against reliever Connor Brogdon with two on and one out.
"The sinker was playing well versus him,” Kochanowicz said. “I think we were kind of basing it off of that, like how [good] those swings were, and then we were going from there.”