Nobody hits two-strike pitches better than Angels’ Simmons

When Andrelton Simmons heard his name mentioned on MLB Network on Friday afternoon, he bolted out of the clubhouse dining room, practically covering his ears.

“Whatever it is, I don’t want to know about it, because it definitely won’t help,” the Angels shortstop said. “Whether it’s, ‘Oh, he’s hitting breaking balls really well,’ or, ‘He’s hitting with runners in scoring position,’ I don’t want to be conscious of it.”

Simmons embraces his superstitions. Whether good or bad, he does not want to jinx himself by talking too much about it, so he politely declined a request to address the success he has had this season with two-strike pitches.

According to Inside Edge, Simmons entered Friday night’s game against the Texas Rangers with a major league-best .408 average (29 for 71) on two-strike counts. That was 68 points better than No. 2 Mookie Betts (.340) and 100 points better than No. 3 Jean Segura (.308).

It’s also almost 200 points better than Simmons’ career two-strike average of .217. The major league average with two strikes this season is .177.

“I do have an idea, but I don’t want to talk about it,” Simmons said, laughing.

Hitting coach Eric Hinske did.

“His bat-to-ball skills are second to none,” Hinske said. “His hand-eye coordination is really good. He does a good job of keeping his weight back, keeping his head still and letting the ball travel [deep in the hitting zone]. And he can hit all pitches.”

Simmons’ two-strike success is part of his overall evolution as a hitter. He entered Friday with a career-best .337 average, an .875 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and 10 strikeouts in 230 plate appearances, a major league-best ratio.

Simmons has learned how to hit tough breaking balls from right handers to the opposite field, something he struggled to do earlier in his career with Atlanta.

“He uses the whole field well, and he’s definitely not afraid to hit with two strikes,” Hinske said. “I think that’s the main focus, not being afraid to hit with two strikes and trusting your swing.”

Change of plans

Zack Cozart’s plan to test his sore left forearm with a pregame workout Friday was scrapped in favor of an MRI test, but the infielder, who suffered the injury on a warmup swing before Wednesday night’s game in Detroit, remained confident he will avoid the disabled list.

“Honestly, it feels better today, so I’m not overly concerned,” Cozart said Friday. “It’s a matter of trying to pinpoint exactly what’s going on and go from there. We’re gonna get a picture of it to make sure nothing crazy going on.”

Cozart said the injury is unrelated to the left-elbow ligament replacement surgery he had in 2011, his rookie year.

“We tested the strength around it,” he said, “and there is no issue with the elbow.”

Short hops

Manager Mike Scioscia said Shohei Ohtani would throw a “light” bullpen on Saturday, a “heavy” bullpen on Monday and be “penciled” in to start against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. … Reliever Oliver Drake, a 31-year-old right-hander who was claimed off waivers from Cleveland on Thursday, was activated for Friday night’s game and allowed two hits and a walk in one-third of an inning. Drake had a 4.81 earned-run average in 106 games for Baltimore, Milwaukee and Cleveland from 2015-18. Right-hander Akeel Morris was optioned to triple-A Salt Lake.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

@MikeDiGiovanna