Los Angeles Angels starter Reid Detmers had been in the midst of one of the worst stretches of his young career. He had a 10.30 ERA over his previous six starts — dating back to July 8 — and had given up seven runs in back-to-back outings. Then, a shuffling of the bullpen required him to start on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers.
He was slated to be Friday’s starter after a day off on Thursday, but instead had to start on shorter than normal rest against one of the best offenses in Major League Baseball. Given his recent stretch and the power in the Rangers lineup, Detmers could have found himself getting rattled once again.
Instead, he turned in one of his best performances of not only this season, but perhaps his career. The third-year left-hander tossed 7.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just one hit with four walks and five strikeouts.
It was a potentially season-altering performance for Detmers, who spoke about the feelings associated with getting back on track, according to Jalyn Smoot of MLB.com:
“Obviously, the last couple weeks have been a grind,” Detmers said. “It’s been very stressful, but I kind of just put my head down and kept working. And, after going out there and accomplishing what I did, I can take a breath now.
“This is something that I have worked for the last couple weeks and everything pretty much came together. So, it feels good.”
Angels manager Phil Nevin may have been even happier than Detmers to see the young starter get back on track.
“He made some adjustments in-between starts,” Nevin said. “I talked to [pitching coach Matt Wise] and he said he threw one heck of a bullpen [session], and made a little adjustment on the rubber.
“I’m just really proud of him. He’s gone through a lot, but he’s a young kid and he’s going to be a big part of our future.”
Detmers figures to be a cornerstone of the Angels rotation for years to come, and part of a pitcher’s journey to becoming a cornerstone is fighting through adversity and coming out stronger.
If Wednesday’s start was any indication, it seems as though Detmers is up for the task.
Mickey Moniak working through tough stretch
Another Angel youngster going through a difficult stretch is outfielder Mickey Moniak. Since Aug. 3, he is batting .109 with a .345 OPS, gathering just five hits — three for extra bases — in 47 plate appearances. But Moniak knows what he is capable of, and is not concerned about returning to his former self.
