The 24-year-old right-hander also issued a pair of walks while recording only one strikeout on the afternoon. After a scoreless first inning, the Tigers broke through for three runs against him in the second inning, including a two-run double by Kerry Carpenter. He then served up a two-run blast to Colt Keith in the third before finishing his day with a pair of scoreless innings. Kochanowicz got seven whiffs on 77 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 19 percent. Now 1-5 on the season, he’ll bring a miserable 5.79 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 20/14 K/BB ratio (37 1/3 innings) into Saturday’s matchup against the Orioles.

Kochanowicz was somehow able to escape a bases loaded jam with no outs in the first inning without allowing a run. He wasn’t so lucky in the second frame as Jorge Polanco took him deep for a three-run homer. The 24-year-old right-hander then settled in nicely, tossing four more scoreless innings to finish with a quality start. He struck out six. Kockanowicz will take a 5.29 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and a 19/12 K/BB ratio across 32 1/3 innings into a start against the Tigers in Anaheim on Sunday.

Kochanowicz was able to hold the Angels to just the pair of runs despite allowing eight hits, and he walked one with three punchouts. It wasn’t always pretty — few of his starts are because Kochanowicz misses so few bats — but it’s the third time in five starts he’s given up two runs. He’ll get a chance to limit the damage again in T-Mobile Park against the Mariners in Seattle.

The surprising and misguided decision to pick Kochanowicz over Reid Detmers for a rotation spot at the end of the spring isn’t working out for the Angels. The team might reverse course soon, but Detmers hasn’t been used as a long guy and isn’t stretched out to start right away. Kochanowicz is now 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA, but at least he gets the Pirates next.