New Angel Anderson sees familiar Dodgers in 1st spring start

Published Mar. 3, 2023 6:46 p.m. ET

Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Tyler Anderson was aware he was pitching against his former team on Friday. But the new Los Angeles Angels left-hander was more focused on the new rules in his first Cactus League start.

“It was really just a chance to go out and pitch on the clock,” Anderson said after working two hitless innings against the Dodgers.

“Obviously you want to go out and compete and get guys out, but I really wanted to see how I felt, if I had to hurry up, the game-management type stuff. For me, that was the goal today.”

Anderson walked two without a strikeout.

“I didn’t feel rushed, but I definitely felt like I was paying a lot of attention to the clock,” Anderson said. “You want to get to the point, and I’m sure we’ll get there, where it feels like second nature, where you have a feel for what (the time is).”

Then there was the matter of facing his former teammates.

The Angels signed the 33-year-old Anderson to a three-year, $39 million contract in the offseason. Last year, his only season with the Dodgers, he was 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA in 28 starts and made his first All-Star team.

“You don’t want to go out and embarrass yourself,” Anderson said. “You want to make sure you don’t give any bragging rights.”

Anderson walked Freddie Freeman and new Dodgers DH J.D. Martinez.

The game wound up as a 2-2 tie.

Tony Gonsolin, who started for the Dodgers, also is coming off his first All-Star season. The 28-year-old was 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA, but a right forearm strain took him out in September. He returned for one postseason start but was knocked out in the second inning as the 111-win Dodgers were eliminated by San Diego in the NL Division Series.

“It was more mental than it was physical,” Gonsolin said after throwing 2 1-3 scoreless innings against the Angels. “Sometimes it takes more time for the mental side to come back.”

While Gonsolin was prepared for a starting and relieving role last year, this year he’s solidly in a rotation that’s without Anderson as well as injured Walker Buehler.

“I know what to expect now, so I have a better understanding of what I was preparing for,” he said.

The clock wasn’t a big adjustment for Gonsolin, but there are some subtle differences that have to be addressed.

“It felt really fast at the beginning, but into the second and third inning I felt like I had plenty of time,” he said. “But if I ever want rosin or to take an extra second to fix the mound, I really didn’t have that time. I’d have to do that after an out.”

Gonsolin, who works relatively quickly, was asked if he likes the clock.

“I don’t like it right now, but it’s my first outing. It’s just something we have to adapt to.”

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