Walbert Ureña goes six in shutout of Rangers

Ureña ends an excellent rookie season on an unfortunate down note, giving up five runs for just the second time. As a result, he finishes 9-11 with a 2.97 ERA for a bad Angels team. His ability to get both grounders and strikeouts makes him a fine bet going forward, especially if his command improves some with experience.

Ureña managing to retain mixed-league value pretty much all year long in a situation as bad for pitchers as the one in Anaheim is one of the top accomplishments from any rookie this year. Not even just rookies, really. Ureña departed with a 3-0 lead tonight, but it failed to hold up, keeping him 9-10 with a 2.74 ERA. He’ll probably make just one more start Wednesday against the A’s.

Ureña gave up a run on a pair of doubles in the first inning. Four more hits brought another three runs home in the second before Ureña finally tossed a clean third inning. He went on to pitch three more scoreless frames, giving the Angels six innings of work while striking out seven batters. The 22-year-old right-hander will take a 2.88 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 131/67 K/BB ratio across 137 1/3 innings into a start against the Twins in Anaheim on Thursday.

Ureña gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four. He fell to 9-10 with the loss. Ureña has now allowed two runs in 15 innings with 12 strikeouts over his last two starts. He has a 2.74 ERA. Ureña is lined up to face the Nationals on the road next weekend.

Ureña’s command still comes and goes, but it wasn’t an issue tonight. He walked none and allowed just one extra-base hit — a Spencer Jones homer — to the 25 Yankees he faced tonight. The victory evened his record at 9-9 to go along with a 2.85 ERA. He’d be a Rookie of the Year candidate in many seasons, but he’s behind Parker Messick and a couple of bats in this year’s AL class. He’ll likely face the Pirates on Sunday.

Ureña and Gavin Williams have been two of the more solid options in the American League this year, and surprisingly, they both stunk, as both gave up a five-spot in the outing. Ureña couldn’t find the strike zone before being pulled, as he walked five and threw just 50-of-89 pitches for strikes before being bounced. The 22-year-old is likely starting to tire in his first MLB campaign, and while he still has an excellent 2.94 ERA, there’s just as much risk as reward for the rest of the season. He’ll try and show he’s still got juice in the tank against the Yankees next week.

Ureña breezed through the early part of this game retiring the first eight batters he faced until Christian Vázquez took him deep for a solo shot. That seemed to knock him off his spot a little bit because he ran into trouble in the following inning. Yordan Alvarez hit a lead-off single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Then, he walked Isaac Paredes after an eight-pitch battle before Jose Altuve yanked a double down the line. Cam Smith later hit a sacrifice fly to put the Astros up. Ureña can struggle against right-handed batters – as he did during that Astros’ rally – as a changeup-first righty pitcher without a reliable sweeper. That’s what did him in during that inning, but this was still a fine start as Ureña has done well to elevate his floor as this season’s wore on. In total, he has a 2.80 ERA, 109 strikeouts, and 59 walks through 112 2/3 innings in what’s become a great breakout year. Next up, he’s scheduled for a two-start week against the Guardians and Phillies with both starts at home.

Ureña pitched two quiet innings against the Marlins before completely losing it in the third. A base hit and two walks loaded the bases for Xavier Edwards, who doubled to drive in two runs. Another walk loaded the bases again before Otto Lopez drove in two more runs on a single. That would do it for Ureña, ending his day with one out in the third inning. The 22-year-old right-hander will take a 2.83 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 97/55 K/BB ratio across 101 2/3 innings into a start against the Rangers in Anaheim on Thursday.

Ureña was able to outduel Jacob Misiorowski, and that’s even with Misiorowski throwing seven strong innings. The 22-year-old gave up just three hits, and while he did issue three free passes, he made up for it with seven punchouts and the Brewers rarely threatened. In another lost season for the Halos, Ureña has been a significant bright spot. He’ll be back at it with a 2.54 ERA against the Marlins next weekend.

Ureña left with a 4-1 lead after striking out five and allowing just two hits, but that wasn’t sufficient tonight. That he’s pitching for such a lousy team — and one that will probably get worse before the trade deadline — is one of the things that makes it tough to bet on the 22-year-old Ureña for the short term. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with going forward, but there’s just so little help to be had in Anaheim. He’ll likely face the Brewers on Sunday.