Michael Lorenzen threw his last pitch for the Los Angeles Angels on July 1 against the Houston Astros in which he only lasted three innings and ended up leaving with an aggravated shoulder. However, his time off has given a green light that he will see the field in early September for the Angels.
Prior to his July 17 start against the Seattle Mariners, Lorenzen noted that his shoulder began giving him trouble, but in attempting to work through it, he went on to struggle over those three starts allowing 16 earned runs over those next 11 innings.
Lorenzen’s pre-injury numbers are much more indicative of his performance in 2022. In his first 11 starts of the season, he posted a 3.45 ERA with a 3.66 FIP in 60 innings, and according to Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register, Lorenzen is on the right track to return:
He threw his first bullpen session in weeks on Tuesday in Oakland. He had tried to come back around the All-Star break, but he pushed it too fast and the Angels decided to slow it down.
“I felt really good,” he said after Tuesday’s session. “Everything feels great. It feels normal.”
Lorenzen signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Angels in the offseason, but would welcome a return next season.
“I want to keep coming back,” the right-hander said on Tuesday. “This is home for me and I love it here.”
The 30-year-old reliever turned starter shouldn’t cost too much on the open market, but a team willing to take a gamble on his success prior to injury will be the driving force. Lorenzen’s upside and ability to limit damage without gaudy strikeout numbers is something that can be improved upon when he finds the ability to miss more bats.
Reid Detmers shines after recent call-up
On June 21 against the Kansas City Royals, Reid Detmers allowed five runs on five hits and two walks over five innings pitched in what wound up being a 12-11 loss for the Los Angeles Angels. Shortly after, Detmers was demoted to Triple-A and was skipped over in the rotation twice.
He then returned on July 8 against the Baltimore Orioles and has since been a completely different pitcher. He continued that trend in the second game of a doubleheader with the Seattle Mariners. Detmers tossed 7.0 innings, giving up just one run on six hits and a walk, striking out seven in the process.
It was Detmers’ second consecutive start of seven innings and only one earned run allowed. Interim manager Phil Nevin expressed pride in the young pitcher.
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