Reid Detmers‘ return to the big leagues got off to an amazing start Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 25-year-old started his first game for the Los Angeles Angels since June 1, and it was impressive. The Angels lefty regained his form in Triple-A Salt Lake. Detmers struck out 10 batters over six innings and only allowed two earned runs. He only allowed five total baserunners, giving up three hits and walking two. Even though the Angels failed to win, watching Detmers excel in his return to the Angels is far more important to the club.
After a solid first and second inning, Detmers ran into some trouble in the third. The problem? The top of the Dodgers order. Ex-Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani got the Dodgers on the board with a one-out triple that scored Miguel Rojas. The Angels challenged the play hoping it would be ruled a ground-rule double because the ball seemed to stop at the bottom of the fence. Unfortunately, the call on the field stood.
After the brief pause, Mookie Betts drove Ohtani in with a single. Then, Freddie Freeman followed with another single. In the past, this is where Detmers would seemingly fall apart. Not tonight. Instead, he struck out Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith to strand the two runners on base. Detmers proceeded to strike out two more in the fourth and fifth innings. Finally, he got his tenth strikeout of the night in his final batter, once again Will Smith. For long-suffering Angels fans, seeing Detmers excel in his return is huge.
Reid Detmers, 8th and 9th Ks. pic.twitter.com/2wa6bllux2
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 4, 2024
Reid Detmers Excels in Return Against Difficult Dodgers Lineup
The Angels youth movement is in full swing as the 2024 season winds down. Reid Detmers is a big part of that movement. More to the point, the youth movement will only be successful if the Detmers and Adells find their big-league footing. While Adell has been front and center as he tries to regain his April magic, Detmers was down on the farm. Because of this, it’s important to see him return to the majors against a talented offense. As it stands, there are few offenses more potent than the Dodgers. Currently, they are fourth in baseball in runs scored and third in home runs.
Detmers’ ability to bounce back from a hanging slider to Ohtani and Betts’ follow-up single is the most important part of his start tonight. It’s nice to see him strike out at least one batter every inning. But for him to be successful long-term, he’ll need to keep his poise in tough situations. Facing the middle of the Dodgers order with runners on the corners and one out definitely qualifies for a tough situation. It’s obvious that Detmers has the stuff to sit at the top of a big-league rotation. Moving forward, the only question is whether or not he’ll maintain the consistency necessary to be the Angels’ top starter.
Photo Credit: © John Froschauer-Imagn Images
