'Glad to be back': Detmers (10 K's) impresses in return to Majors

ANAHEIM -- After a three-month stint at Triple-A Salt Lake because of a rough start to his season with the Angels, left-hander Reid Detmers was brought back up to the Majors and faced a stern test against the high-powered Dodgers on Tuesday night.

Despite the challenge that included facing Shohei Ohtani in his first game as a visitor at Angel Stadium, Detmers was impressive in his return, striking out 10 over six strong frames in a 6-2 loss in 10 innings in front of a sellout crowd in the series opener. It was an encouraging sign for Detmers, who came into the season considered one of the club’s best pitchers and a breakout candidate before scuffling in late April and May to warrant a demotion to the Minors in early June.

“I'm glad to be back. It was a long three months, but it was all worth it,” Detmers said. “The first couple innings, my legs were a little shaky. I wasn't nervous. It's just a lot of adrenaline. But I’m just happy to be back and be a part of this club.”

Detmers allowed two runs on just three hits and two walks while throwing exactly 100 pitches, including 68 for strikes. His four-seamer -- which averaged 93.8 mph -- and his slider were particularly effective, as each pitch generated eight swinging strikes. His stuff has never been the issue, but it did show how dominant he can be even against a Dodgers lineup that had struck out 10 times in a game just three times over their last 15 contests.

“Outstanding,” said manager Ron Washington. “It was the best command I've seen him have with his fastball. And he was able to use his offspeed pitches in some very good situations that got them off-balance.”

Detmers immediately faced a tough task with Ohtani leading off. Ohtani, who won two American League MVP Awards with the Angels during his six years with the organization, received a mostly positive reception from the fans in his first at-bat and grounded out to first.

But in the third, it was Ohtani who sparked a two-run rally for the Dodgers with an RBI triple down the right-field line on a 1-2 curveball left over the middle of the plate. Ohtani then scored on an RBI single from Mookie Betts, but Detmers was able to limit the damage after that. He settled down from there, even striking out Ohtani looking with a 3-2 fastball in the fifth after falling behind in the count.

“Just stay away really,” Detmers said of his plan against Ohtani. “Just keep changing eye levels. Keep changing speeds. I wasn't trying to do anything crazy, just trying to let him get himself out.”

Detmers retired the last 11 batters he faced, including Will Smith on a strikeout to end the sixth that helped him reach double digits in strikeouts for the fifth time in his career.

It was the continuation of a solid stretch from Detmers, who posted a 1.29 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 21 innings over his last three starts at Triple-A to earn his way back to the big leagues. He’s been a streaky pitcher this year, as he began the season with a 1.19 ERA through his first four starts before posting an 8.93 ERA over his next eight outings to get sent down to Salt Lake.

It was a wakeup call for Detmers, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 Draft and threw a no-hitter as a rookie in 2022. His time at Triple-A was far from perfect, as he had a 5.54 ERA in 14 starts, but the Angels are hopeful he’s turned the corner. His performance against the Dodgers was a good start.

“Det was Det,” said catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who hit a solo homer in the second inning. “It was a treat catching him. The first few innings, we had to knock off some of the rust off at first, as getting on the same page. But after the first two, we got back to normal.”

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Detmers said he always believed he’d be back this season, he just didn’t know when. But he was happy with his performance against a tough lineup that eventually scored four times in the 10th, including a three-run homer from Mookie Betts after an intentional walk to Ohtani.

“They’re a good club, so having that first start back against them definitely brought some adrenaline,” Detmers said. “It was a good outing and was probably the most fun I’ve had on a field in a long time.”