CHICAGO -- A week into his managerial career, Kurt Suzuki has made it clear that he's not going to blindly follow tradition or analytics.
"Everybody has their own philosophies," Suzuki said. "For myself, being surrounded by good baseball guys like (bench coach John Gibbons) and (pitching coach Mike Maddux), everybody around me, we talk through ideas. At the end of the day, it's to give us the best chance to win a baseball game.
"Sometimes it might be off the cuff, or it might not be typical managerial moves. But if we feel it gives us the best chance to win, we'll definitely give it serious consideration."
On Tuesday night, left-hander Drew Pomeranz completed the eighth and then Suzuki had him return to the mound to face left-handed hitting Pete Crow-Armstrong in the ninth, rather that going to straight to right-hander Jordan Romano.
The standard procedure is to start the ninth with whoever is the closer that night. But the math clearly said that it made more sense to have a lefty face Crow-Armstrong. Pomeranz struck him out, and then Romano picked up the final two outs.
Suzuki has also used defensive specialist Bryce Teodosio in left and right, but not center. Teodosio was statistically one of the best defensive center fielders in the game last year. He would undoubtedly be an upgrade over Mike Trout, who could shift over to a corner when Teodosio enters.
However, Suzuki has opted not to mess with Trout's comfort in center.
It's a decision that makes more sense on a human level, but not as much on an analytical one.
"Mike's been doing a great job in center field," Suzuki said. "Teo's a plus defender anywhere he goes on the field."
On Saturday in Houston, Suzuki pulled starter Reid Detmers after 4⅔ innings, with a 6-2 lead. Although Detmers was at 95 pitches and he'd just thrown a hanging slider for a two-run double, he was still just one out away from qualifying for a victory.
In that instance, Suzuki stuck with the more analytical decision, even though the player-friendly choice might have been to give Detmers one more shot at getting another out.
"I want to do everything in my power to give these guys the opportunity to win," Suzuki said. "I feel like, to a point, if these are your guys, you have to show trust in them that they can go out there and make that big pitch and get that out. Obviously, Det didn't get it. The pitch count was up.
"At the same time, I can't do anything foolish and risk them getting hurt or something just because I want them to get the win. They understand that. That comes through relationships. They understand where I'm coming from and I understand where they're coming from, and we keep moving on. I think at the end of the day winning is the most important thing."
Outfielder Josh Lowe started the season with two hits in his first 21 at-bats, including 10 strikeouts.
Lowe barreled a ball Tuesday night, but it was right into the teeth of the brisk wind and died well short of the fence in center field.
Lowe missed a few weeks of spring training with right oblique tightness. He tried to catch up on the missed at-bats in minor-league games. Suzuki said he doesn't think the lost time is a lingering issue.
"I like where he's at," Suzuki said. "He's been working hard with (hitting coach Brady Anderson) in the cage and doing a lot of outfield stuff. He's been moving around pretty well. He made a great (diving catch) in Houston, so he's been doing well."
Right-hander Kirby Yates had a short bullpen session Wednesday morning, the first time he'd thrown off a mound since being sidelined with a knee injury. Yates said his knee felt fine, but his stuff needs work....
First baseman Nolan Schanuel was on the bench for the first time this season, with the Angels facing their first left-handed starter Wednesday.
Mariners (RHP Bryan Woo, 0-0, 3.00 ERA) at Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 0-0, 5.79), 6:38 p.m. Friday, FanDuel Sports Network, 830 AM