DETROIT -- Making his much-anticipated season debut, Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani was supposed to be the star of the show Tuesday night.

But it was Griffin Canning, the Angels’ top pitching prospect, who stole the spotlight.

Making just his second career start, Canning continued to live up to his hype with another strong outing, helping the Angels pull out a 5-2 series-opening win over the Tigers at Comerica Park.

• Box score

“Everyone told me when I got up here that I belong,” Canning said. “That’s the biggest thing: Confidence. I’m just trying to keep my head down and keep getting better."

So far, he’s doing just that.

A second-round Draft pick in 2017, Canning struck out seven and worked 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball en route to picking up his first career win. The Santa Margarita High School and UCLA product struck out five of the first 11 Tigers he faced and issued just one walk.

“I don’t think every pitcher necessarily thinks he’s going to have his best stuff every start,” Canning said. “You need to see what you have and go from there.”

It’s safe to say that Canning’s breaking ball was working for him Tuesday.

Wielding a nasty slider and a mid-90s fastball, Canning allowed only one infield hit -- one that easily could have been ruled an error -- through the first five innings.

“His slider looks a lot like his fastball to the hitter,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “That’s why you see guys swing, and then the ball moves on them. It’s got to be the spin.”

It was another promising appearance for the 22-year-old Canning, who has quickly made a name for himself in his first Major League season.

“Canning looked good,” Ausmus said. “He actually looked really good for the large chunk of time that he was out there.”

The Angels (16-19) built a 3-0 lead in the third inning on RBIs from David Fletcher, Ohtani and Andrelton Simmons, who also knocked in a run in the eighth. Kole Calhoun added a sacrifice fly in the sixth. That was all the run support Canning needed.

“I definitely have the advantage because these guys haven’t seen me ever,” Canning said.

Canning showed signs of dominance in his Major League debut on April 30, but he ran into trouble the third time through the order. That proved to be a problem, once again, Tuesday.

Canning allowed just one hit and limited hard contact the first two times through the Tigers’ order. He entered the sixth inning having thrown just 86 pitches, but he was lifted in favor of Luke Bard after allowing a pair of runs, highlighted by Nicholas Castellanos' RBI triple.

Given his inexperience, the score and his pitch count at the time, Canning wasn’t upset that he wasn’t afforded an opportunity to work out of trouble in the sixth inning. Nor was he surprised, considering how well Bard has pitched as of late.

“The score is going to dictate how much leeway any pitcher gets, not just Griffin Canning,” Ausmus said. “We have some guys in the bullpen that we’re very confident in.”

With the potential game-tying run at the plate, Bard -- who hasn’t allowed a run in his past five appearances -- retired both batters he faced to escape the jam.

Talking to reporters in the clubhouse following the game, Canning was asked what he planned to do with the game-winning ball that sat on the top of his locker. Without hesitation, Canning said he planned on gifting it to his father, Kevin.

“He was bugging me last time for not giving him one,” Canning joked.

Canning, who is notorious for studying film and analyzing nearly every one of his pitches, acknowledged a sense of relief in securing his first career MLB win, but he showed little emotion postgame.

For him, Tuesday’s win was just the beginning of what he wants to accomplish.

“I’m gonna go watch the video and see what I can improve on,” Canning said.