Reid Detmers keeps stacking quality starts, and the timing couldn’t be more interesting for the Angels.
On Friday night in Arlington, the left-hander delivered six scoreless innings against the Rangers, needing 89 pitches to get through the outing. Texas managed six hits and one walk, but Detmers still kept the damage off the board while striking out five. The Angels’ offense didn’t get going until the 10th inning, so his effort went unrewarded in the final result, but the performance fit right into the stretch he’s been putting together since mid-July.
Since his start against the Detroit Tigers on July 17, Detmers has posted a 1.56 ERA and 0.89 WHIP while striking out 49 batters across 40 ⅓ innings. In seven starts during that run, only one has seen him allow three runs. Friday marked the third time in that span that he worked at least six innings without giving up a run.
That kind of run is exactly why Detmers drew attention before this year’s trade deadline. The Angels chose to move Jose Soriano instead and keep Detmers in Anaheim, but his recent surge could bring more teams back around this offseason. The club even listened to offers for him earlier this month, though it didn’t accept any.
The question now is whether he still fits the Angels’ long-term plans. After this season, Detmers will have two more years of team control, which makes him a valuable asset on paper. From the outside, a trade could make sense if the Angels want to bring back promising prospects, especially since they don’t look close to contending in the next couple of years.
But that’s a hard sell for the fan base, because Detmers has been one of the organization’s biggest pitching bets from the start. The Angels picked him in the first round of the 2020 draft to become the next ace for a team that badly needed help on the mound.
He flashed that upside early, including the twelfth no-hitter in franchise history in 2022. There have been rough patches too, and he was even in the bullpen just last season, but he earned his way back into the rotation for 2026 and hasn’t let go of the job.
So while the recent numbers are turning heads, the bigger story is that Detmers has been doing what Angels fans always believed he could do. When everything clicks, he looks like the ace the Angels have been waiting for. And if this stretch is any indication, that may not be something they get to enjoy for much longer.
In Other News...
Angels Suddenly Face A Nolan Schanuel Problem During Stretch Run
The Angels stretch run took a hit when Nolan Schanuel landed on the 10-day injured list with a right intercostal strain, removing one of their more stable pieces at first base just as the schedule starts tightening up. Schanuel had been hurt in a recent game, and the club also lost outfielder Wade Meckler to the 7-day concussion injured list after another recent setback, forcing the roster to absorb two more absences at once.
To fill the openings, Los Angeles recalled outfielder Gustavo Campero and infielder Christian Moore, a reminder of how quickly the margin for error disappears in September. For an Angels team already trying to piece together production and health at the same time, Schanuels absence leaves a real question about how long they can hold things together at first base while waiting for bodies to come back. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Moore Gets Another Angels Shot At A Crucial Time
Christian Moore is back in the Angels lineup at a moment when the roster is getting stretched thinner by the day. Recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, Moore started at second base and got his first Major League action since June 26, while Gustavo Campero also returned and drew the start in left field as the club shuffled pieces to cover new openings.
Nolan Schanuels move to the 10-day injured list with a right intercostal muscle strain created one of those openings, and Wade Mecklers placement on the seven-day concussion injured list added another. For Moore, this is another chance to make an impression in a situation where the Angels need answers quickly, and the way he handles this latest look could matter beyond just one game. [Read more 🡒]
Angels GM Search Will Show If Arte Moreno Has Really Changed
The Angels are back in familiar territory, sorting through a front-office opening with the season still unfolding and an interim hand on the wheel. John Mozeliak has stepped in after Perry Minasians dismissal, and for now his deal lasts only through the end of the year, which leaves the club facing a question that goes beyond one hire: whether this search is really about finding a long-term baseball chief or simply bridging the gap until the next decision point.
That question sits at the heart of how this process plays out under Arte Moreno, whose management style has long shaped the organizations reputation around the league. There is also the matter of where team president Molly Jolly fits into the power structure, because any meaningful change in the Angels front office will depend on more than just the rsum of the next general manager. The search should reveal whether the club is ready for a cleaner, more stable setup, or whether old habits still have the upper hand. [Read more 🡒]