Just before the Los Angeles Angels dropped the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, it was announced that Michael Lorenzen would be placed on the 15-day IL. The decision was retro to July 4, meaning he’ll be out until at least July 19 with a right shoulder strain.
In the short-term, the Angels called up reliever Jose Marte to take his place on the roster. Chase Silseth was already the listed starter on Thursday, meaning calling up a reliever gave them more options in what wound up being a 4-1 loss.
However, the Angels now need to make a plan for Friday’s contest, when Lorenzen was initially slated to start. And if their taxi squad moves are any indication, it would appear that Reid Detmers is in line to take the mound in Game 2 of the series.
It was reported prior to the beginning of the series that Detmers would be joining the taxi squad on the road. And when Lorenzen was placed on the IL, the intention behind that became apparent, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
Michael Lorenzen was placed on the injured list with a strained right shoulder, Jose Marte was called up and Reid Detmers will start tomorrow: https://t.co/Pus7UstREY
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) July 7, 2022
The exact roster move that will put Detmers on the parent roster has not yet been announced. It likely won’t be until the hours before first pitch. But given that the Angels called up an extra bullpen arm on Thursday, it wouldn’t be surprising for a bullpen arm to be sent down.
Detmers was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after giving up nine runs in an 8.2-inning stretch over his last two starts. But prior to that, he was having a solid 2022 campaign, including throwing a no-hitter. He currently has a 4.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP and has been very susceptible to the home run ball.
Friday night against the Orioles becomes a very important game for him, as the Angels desperately need to even this series in the early stages. If they want to make up any ground in the standings ahead of the All-Star Break, they need to do so by beating the teams in front of them, like Baltimore.
Sandoval, Suarez to close out series
Following Detmers on Friday, the Angels turn to one of their most trusted starters on Saturday when Patrick Sandoval takes the mound. Winning behind Detmers is all the more vital given that the Angels should have a good opportunity to grab a victory with Sandoval.
Then, Jose Suarez is in line to close the series out. Suarez has had some consistency issues between starts and the bullpen, but is hopeful to have a strong outing to finish up the Halos road trip.
