April 02--Angels Manager Mike Scioscia acknowledged in late February that new third baseman Yunel Escobar, a converted shortstop who was acquired from the Washington Nationals in December, has a tendency to lower his arm slot at times, causing his throws to first base to tail and dip.
"He's got a very strong arm," Scioscia said at the time. "When his footwork is right, his arm angle is fine."
Escobar did not look fine Thursday night in the first game of the preseason Freeway Series against the Dodgers. He threw wild to second base on a first-inning force play, but second baseman Johnny Giavotella prevented an error by making a sprawling catch while keeping his foot on the bag.
Escobar one-hopped a throw to first on Yasiel Puig's third-inning grounder, which first baseman C.J. Cron scooped for the out, but he bounced another side-arm throw past first base for an error on A.J. Ellis' sixth-inning grounder.
"I think his footwork was fine. It looked like a release-point issue," Scioscia said before Friday night's game. "One throw that sunk a little bit, he got underneath it. He made a nice play when he was playing deep [in a shift]. He's fine. He's going to be fine at third base."
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