Angels News: Reid Detmers Eyeing Strong Finish To Regular Season

Scott Geirman
Scott Geirman
4 Min Read
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels fell to the Baltimore Orioles in an extra-innings loss on Tuesday, but the loss wasn’t placed on their young lefty, Reid Detmers, who turned in a solid outing.

The 24-year-old has posted a 4.89 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.40 WHIP, in 25 starts this season. But Detmers hasn’t done himself many favors, allowing 3.72 walks per nine, allowing opposing hitters to carry a .255 batting average agaist.

He eclipsed his innings total from 2022 in his most recent outing, tossing 6.2 innings with two earned runs on nine hits. Detmers’ final line could’ve looked much worse, but he was able to keep the Orioles away from big innings.

Since August 15, the Angels are 5-14, and have lost eight of their last nine games. But Detmers discussed the view ahead following Tuesday’s game and how big it is to continue to push on, per Sarah Valenzuela of the L.A. Times:

“Yeah, it’s huge,” Detmers said. “Obviously, you want to finish the season strong.

Detmers’ 3-10 record on the season isn’t a pretty line, but his ability to log strikeouts does bode well for when he gains a feel for how to command his stuff.

With less than a month left in the regular season, he figures to have at least four more starts. This gives him a landing strip to work on himself, regardless of the losing trend that has taken over the team:

“Season is what it is,” he continued. “Can’t really do anything about the past. But the main focus is these next however many starts I have left is to go out there and dominate and compete and really just give it my all and go into next year on a good note.”

The former first-round pick has used a four-pitch mix to navigate his way through his starts, and aside from his fastball, all of his stuff needs a bit of diagnosing. Detmers has the ability to go out and dominate, but also can have things get away from him at various times.

Because he is still in the early part of his career, Detmers has time to refine his skills which will allow him to become a solid middle of the rotation piece.

Despite warning signs, Shohei Ohtani told Angels he was ‘good to go’

Concerns over Ohtani’s injured right elbow have taken over the conversation surrounding the Angels. But looking back, one of the early signs of the intrigue came when the Angels offered for Ohtani to have an MRI in August, but he declined.

Mainly because his performance hadn’t been an issue, his 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 11.39 K/9 in 132 innings pitched are a continuation of what the Angels saw in him in recent years. His bat is still playing at an MVP level, posting a 178 wRC+ with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 102 runs scored.

Ohtani continued to assert that he was fine and the cramping in his fingers wasn’t a cause for concern. But the announcement that he has a tear in his UCL has unfortunately taken away any shot of him pitching in the near future.

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Scott Geirman is a journalist from Simi Valley, California, currently working as a staff writer for Dodger Blue and Angels Nation. After working as the Sports Editor for the Moorpark College newspaper, he graduated from Cal State University, Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in broadcast journalism with an emphasis in political science. Scott has a passion for reading, writing, baseball, family, Mookie Betts, and being a father to his beautiful daughter. He is currently pursuing his career in the sports media industry.