Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers will try to continue a strong finish to his breakout season on Saturday night when he faces the Minnesota Twins in Anaheim, Calif.
Detmers (6-8, 3.36 ERA) has a majors-best 1.65 ERA in 11 starts since the All-Star break with 76 strikeouts and 11 walks in 65 1/3 innings. He needs one more strikeout to become the 12th pitcher in franchise history to record 200 strikeouts in a season, and the first since Shohei Ohtani in 2022.
Detmers is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in seven career appearances (five starts) against Minnesota. He brings a streak of seven consecutive quality starts into the contest after helping pitch Los Angeles (59-95) to a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings with eight strikeouts.
Cal Raleigh belted a three-run homer to snap a streak of six consecutive starts that Detmers made pitching at least six innings while allowing one or fewer runs.
“I just felt like I didn’t have my best stuff tonight, but was able to get through six and only give up the home run to Cal, so I was very satisfied with that,” Detmers said. “You’re not always going to have your best stuff, so sometimes you have to give and take with what you’ve got.”
Right-hander Joe Ryan (6-10, 3.84) will make his third start for Minnesota (72-82) since coming off the 15-day injured list with a left glute strain.
Ryan is 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA in five career starts against Los Angeles with 41 strikeouts in 29 innings. He didn’t figure in the decision in a 5-3 win over the Angels on July 11 at Target Field when he gave up two runs on six hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts.
Ryan is 0-5 in five starts since the All-Star break and comes in off a 9-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, allowing four runs on seven hits in four innings with just one strikeout. Steven Kwan homered on the second pitch of the game and Jo Adell added a solo homer in the third for Cleveland. He departed after throwing 84 pitches, 51 for strikes.
“I think ‘battle’ is probably the best way to put it,” Ryan said. “Just kind of long at-bats, throwing the ball for the most part where we wanted to throw it. They were just kind of beating me to it there. It’s frustrating when it’s a day like that, and yeah, they’ve had a pretty good approach all year I would say.”
Los Angeles posted a 5-4 win in 10 innings on Thursday before Minnesota evened the four-game series with a 3-0 victory on Friday night.
Walker Jenkins homered and had his second straight three-hit game for the Twins.
The 21-year-old Jenkins, ranked Minnesota’s top prospect by MLB.com, entered the series batting .089 (4-for-45) with 16 strikeouts but is 6-for-8 with two home runs and three RBIs in the first two games against the Angels.
“I think jumping levels, it’s always mental,” Jenkins said of overcoming his slow big league start. “I think obviously guys are better but it’s a mental adjustment. Bigger stadiums, more people, better arms, and I think I just had to settle in a little bit. I wouldn’t say I have it figured out yet, but we’re going to continue to stack good days and hopefully help the team win.”
–Field Level Media
