Rookie Detmers embracing challenge of late September ball

MINNEAPOLIS -- It's been a solid rookie season for lefty Reid Detmers, who threw a no-hitter against the Rays on May 10 and an immaculate inning against the Rangers on July 31, but he's learning how to pitch late in September for the first time in his career.

Detmers struggled against the Twins in his second-to-last start of the season, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits over four-plus innings in an 8-4 loss Saturday at Target Field. After posting a 2.91 ERA in four starts in August, Detmers has a 6.05 ERA in four outings in September. His 25th and final start of the year is set to come Friday against the Rangers at Angel Stadium.

Detmers, who has posted a respectable 3.88 ERA in 24 starts this season, said he’s not quite ready to look back on his season just yet, but he believes there is a lot he can draw on heading into next season.

"There has been a lot of good and a lot of bad,” Detmers said. “There are a lot of good things I can take from, but there's also some stuff I can learn from. I'm probably going to take the bad stuff with me into the offseason. I have one start left so I'm not really thinking about it yet, but after next week, I'll start thinking about it a little more. Just see how I can get better and what I need to do."

Detmers is completing his first full season in the Majors, as he made only five starts with the Angels last year in his first taste of the Majors. Detmers, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 Draft, has provided some optimism for the future of the rotation, but it’s still a learning process for the 23-year-old. He said it’s been a lack of execution in recent starts and that he’s been missing his spots too much but that he feels strong and healthy.

"Every one of these is a learning experience for somebody who is really in his first year from wire to wire,” said interim manager Phil Nevin. “He's done some really good things, and these experiences are only going to benefit him next year."

He had trouble against the Twins from the start and never really found a groove, as he allowed at least one run in four of the five innings he appeared in. It started ominously, as he gave up a single on his first pitch of the night to Jose Miranda before giving up a one-out single to Luis Arraez. Gio Urshela followed with an RBI ground-rule double to center, and Gary Sánchez delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Angels in an early 2-0 hole.

He didn't help his own cause with an error in the second on a slow roller from Jermaine Palacios that went under his glove and eventually led to an unearned run scoring after he gave up back-to-back singles to Miranda and Carlos Correa with two outs.

"I just didn't have it tonight,” Detmers said. “Just one of those days. There's not a whole lot to say. I just didn't execute pitches when I needed to. The only bright side was there were no walks. Other than that, it wasn't the best performance."

Detmers received some run support in the third with Mike Trout ripping an RBI double down the left-field line and Shohei Ohtani delivering a two-run single to tie the game. He got through a clean third inning to keep the game tied but surrendered a leadoff triple to Jake Cave in the fourth and gave up a go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Palacios.

He came back out for the fifth but was removed after giving up a single to Arraez on his 71st pitch of the game. Reliever Mike Mayers came in and promptly gave up a single to Urshela and then a three-run homer to Sánchez, with one run being charged to Detmers.

“He just wasn't sharp and left some pitches up in the zone, and they got hit,” Nevin said. “It happens. It's a good offense over there. To get where he did in the game, it could've unraveled a little bit more early. I thought he made some good pitches when he needed to to get to that point, and he didn't walk anybody. But certainly, he did leave some pitches up that got hit."