Angels’ Ricky Nolasco goes with instinct over routine when he gets in a jam

Reporting from ARLINGTON, Texas —  As his allotment of pitches approached expiration in a one-run game Thursday night in Anaheim, Angels starter Ricky Nolasco found himself in trouble. So he let his instincts take over his pitching.

In a 3-and-1 count against Oakland power hitter Khris Davis with two outs and the potential tying run at first base, Nolasco utilized an unusual technique. He lowered his shoulder, contorted his body, and delivered a side-winding sinking fastball at the bottom of the zone for strike two.

It was a rare tactic for the 34-year-old right-hander, and one he decided to deploy on the spot.

“I think I decided to drop down when I started to pick up my leg,” Nolasco said Friday. “To be honest with you, it kind of just happens. I don’t think about it. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna drop down on this pitch.’ As soon as I was going, it was just an instinct.”

He said he had done it a few times before. Nolasco reverted to his normal delivery for the next pitch, on which Davis attempted to check his swing, and did so successfully, in the estimation of first-base umpire Toby Basner. Nolasco then induced a routine grounder to second base, but a Cliff Pennington error extended the inning and ended his night.

Reliever Blake Parker worked out of the inning, and the pitch ultimately did not affect the game’s outcome. But Nolasco demonstrated a willingness to explore additional avenues to deceive hitters.

“It’s a big count, just trying to throw him off a little bit,” he said. “Maybe get a bad swing or something. It’s just a reaction, an in-game thing that you just naturally do — for me, anyway.”

Nolasco pitched for the first time in nine days. The club delayed his scheduled start so he could spend an extra bullpen session working through the mechanics of his delivery with pitching coach Charles Nagy. They focused specifically on his front leg late in his motion, keeping it in step with the rest of his body.

“It was basic,” Nolasco said.

Short hops

At 12 games, Mike Trout’s hitting streak is approaching the longest in his career, 15, set in 2013. He has reached base in 24 of 25 games this season. … Kole Calhoun’s stretch of 59 consecutive at-bats without an extra-base hit through Friday’s game is the longest of his career. … Temporary closer Bud Norris was unavailable Friday night after recording saves on Wednesday and Thursday. A longtime starter, the 32-year-old right-hander has never pitched on three consecutive nights.

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