Detmers struggles in defeat to Tigers
DETROIT » It wasn’t Reid Detmers’ day Saturday.
The Angels left-hander gave up 10 hits and four runs in a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers after posting a 1.50 ERA over his previous six starts.
Detmers lasted 4 1/3 innings before his outing came to an end.
“I was just having a hard time settling in,” Detmers said. “The stuff wasn’t coming out great. I didn’t have a really good feel for anything. That’s pretty much that.”
Detmers’ fastball averaged 92 mph, slightly down from the 93.2 mph he averaged coming into the game. Manager Phil Nevin said that was “a little concerning,” but he noted that Detmers said he was fine physically and the other pitches had their typical velocity.
“Obviously I know the velo is down,” Detmers said. “I don’t know what was causing it. It just wasn’t coming out today.”
The rookie’s recent performance had been one of the most pleasant storylines for the Angels over the past couple months, having returned from Triple-A with an improved slider.
His pitches weren’t working as they had been recently, though, and the Tigers had plenty of traffic against him.
It could have been worse, but in the second inning, right fielder Taylor Ward threw Jonathan Schoop out at the plate trying to score from second on a single.
The Tigers also gave Detmers one of the 13 outs he recorded with a sacrifice.
Detmers’ defense also cost him an out when shortstop Andrew Velazquez failed to get the third out on a routine grounder in the third inning because he threw to third to try to nail a runner instead of throwing to first.
Nevin said Velazquez told him the runner cutting in front of him “threw him off” and he “made a mistake.”
Detmers then gave up a 108 mph line drive to center field, but Mike Trout leapt and snagged it for the final out.
Angels hitters weren’t able to overcome Detmers’ rough outing, despite a good start.
Luis Rengifo drove in Shohei Ohtani, who had doubled, in the first inning. Velazquez hit an opposite-field homer in the second. Jo Adell drove in Rengifo with a sacrifice fly in the third.
After that, the Angels managed just an infield hit by Adell over the next five innings.
Pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki drew a one-out walk in the ninth, but Max Stassi hit into a gameending double play, running his hitless streak to 23 at-bats.
Ohtani had hits in his first two trips and struck out in the next two.
Trout was hitless in four at-bats, including a strikeout, in his second game since coming off the injured list.
Nevin attributed the Angels’ slow offensive finish to the quality of the Tigers bullpen and an adjustment from starter Tyler Alexander, who made it through six innings.
“Alexander settled in a little bit,” Nevin said. “We hit some balls hard. He settled in and Reid didn’t. That’s kind of the difference in the game.”