Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington had about two weeks to stall after sending Reid Detmers down to Triple-A Salt Lake to refocus his command. And when the day finally came that he had to make a choice, Washington landed on Jose Suarez to temporarily take Detmers’ spot in the rotation against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Suarez — who hadn’t started a game since May 7, 2023 — spent the last year bouncing between Triple-A and the Major League bullpen, where he would give the Halos long-relief work when needed. So far in 2024, Suarez had made 16 appearances out of the bullpen averaging just under two innings per game. So taking the mound as the starter against the Diamondbacks signaled a big milestone for the 26-year-old.
The excitement quickly faded when Suarez allowed a leadoff walk and a first-inning single. In the second inning, he allowed two runs and two triples. He was chased from the game in the third inning after a Randal Grichuk home run. All told, he allowed four earned runs on six hits in 2.2 innings of work.
It brought his season ERA to 7.08 with a WHIP of 1.748. After two quality seasons in 2021 and 2022, Suarez now has a combined 7.68 ERA since the start of 2023. But the young starter is not phased and believes he needed to get the nerves out, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“I was excited because I hadn’t started a game since last year,” Suarez said through interpreter Manny Del Campo. “I have more in the tank. I was very excited but now I know I can keep going and everything will be good.”
This now leaves Washington with a decision. He can trot Suarez back out for his next scheduled start on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, or he can make another change. He’s undecided on the matter.
“We’ve got to wait and see how everything goes,” manager Ron Washington said. “We’ve got to go through the rest of the rotation and see where we are. I can’t answer that right now.”
As far as starting pitching goes, the Angels have found something of a decent groove with Jose Soriano, Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning and Patrick Sandoval. But the fifth spot has been trouble since mid-April, and Washington needs to come up with a solution quickly.
Chase Silseth making rehab starts in ACL for Angels
One potential option that could be on the way — but unlikely by Sunday — is Chase Silseth, who has been out since early April. However, he recently began making rehab starts in the Arizona Complex League, and has been tossed out as an option to temporarily replace Detmers in the rotation.