9 up, 9 down: Kopech perfect in spring debut

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Michael Kopech threw three perfect innings during his first 2023 Cactus League start in a 1-1 tie against the Angels on Sunday afternoon at Camelback Ranch.

Kopech is being brought along gradually after undergoing right knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear at the end of the 2022 season, but he has looked good during live batting practice sessions. He struck out one and topped out at 98 mph on the stadium radar gun.

“I think the plan was to build me up a little quicker, so I think there was talk of going three, but we’re going to err on the side of caution today,” Kopech said. “Since the season is approaching rapidly and it was pretty short, I think the plan was just to stretch out to 45 [pitches], however I got to 45. Going out there for a third was helpful.”

The first two innings took only 23 pitches for Kopech, who finished his workload in the bullpen. The right-hander is scheduled to start the team’s home opener against the Giants on April 3, and he thought getting up for a third time on Sunday was beneficial to the process after building up to two up-downs in live BPs.

“Not that I was completely gassed, but I could tell I was a little tired -- started pulling off some stuff, started losing my body a little bit. Had to find adjustments,” Kopech said. “It was good to go back out and have to work on that stuff and grind through that a little bit. Grind might be a little bit of a stretch, but kind of get back to myself. I started pulling off some stuff and then I found it again.”

Although Kopech has placed a focus on working the changeup into his repertoire, he threw just one on Sunday. He worked primarily with his fastball and slider.

“The slider felt really good, sharp out of my hand and had the break I wanted it to," Kopech said. "I’m happy with where I’m at [with] secondary stuff, too.”

Dad power: Part II
Brooks Burger, the infant son of Jake and Ashlyn Burger, made his Cactus League debut on Saturday in Peoria, and his dad came through with two long home runs.

“I guess he brought me some extra strength,” Burger said with a smile. “It was unbelievable. It’s cool having him in the stands and knowing mom is up there with him. The only thing you get a little nervous about are foul balls and making sure they don’t hit him. But other than that, it’s really cool to share that experience with him.”

Burger has four home runs during Spring Training and just missed a fifth with a fly ball to the wall in Sunday’s deadlock. He credits offseason work done in Nashville, Tenn., which involved Brandon Lowe, a good friend and power-hitting infielder for the Rays, helping with his long-ball game.

“He’s got crazy pop, too, so kind of working with him on how to get the most optimal swing,” Burger said of Lowe. “I’ve done a lot of work on getting the most out of my swing through my hip load and through certain drills. I think I’ve always kind of hit the ball hard, but at a down angle. So now, it’s trying to get it in the air as much as I can.”

Bummer feeling good
Left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer felt “happy and healthy” following a 25-pitch bullpen Sunday morning. He took a step back at the start of Spring Training due to ongoing soreness in his left lat area, but he always felt comfortable that a plan laid out by the training staff would have him ready to break camp with the team on March 28.

“I've had enough run-ins with them on building schedules that I trust them to put me in a position to succeed, and we'll see where we're at seven to 10 days from now and seven to 10 days after that,” Bummer said. “The offseason was definitely not what I wanted. I ran into some things. Had a couple minor issues.

“Just some things that I thought were going to go away that didn't go away. I'm glad that -- knock on wood -- we kicked them all, we're starting healthy and we'll be ready to go."