Hectic Deadline behind him, Detmers knows 'it's time to lock in'

BALTIMORE -- In his first start since Monday’s Trade Deadline, lefty Reid Detmers scuffled in his fourth and final inning in what was tied for his second-shortest outing of the year.

He gave up three runs on four hits, including two homers, and a walk in a 5-2 loss on Wednesday at Camden Yards, but it was understandable given the roller coaster of emotions that Detmers went through on Monday when an inaccurate report from a Cubs blog that stated he had been traded to Chicago went viral.

Detmers, who fell to 3-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 23 starts this year, said his phone started going off with constant messages and calls when the erroneous report first came out on Monday afternoon. It was a hectic few minutes before he called his agent, who told him he had not been traded. National reporters, including MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, also clarified that no deal had been reached, but Detmers said he didn’t feel at ease until roughly 30 minutes after the 3 p.m. PT Deadline, when all the moves had been announced.

“It was a little bit tough, but I'm happy to be here,” said Detmers, who ranks fourth in the AL with 150 strikeouts. “It is what it is. I knew my name was going to be all over the place, but at the end of the day, nothing happened, so now it’s time to lock in and finish the rest of this year on a good note.”

Detmers was with his teammates on Monday and wasn’t sure what to think when he first saw on social media that he had possibly been traded. The Angels had already sent fellow starter José Soriano to the Blue Jays earlier in the day and eventually moved five total players on Monday.

And Detmers had been mentioned in constant trade rumors over the last few weeks, so it wouldn’t have been a huge shock if he had been traded. But ultimately he stayed put, much like shortstop Zach Neto, who was also the subject of several trade rumors leading up to the Deadline.

“I didn't really know what happened until all of a sudden my phone just started going crazy,” Detmers said. “People I haven't talked to since I got drafted, trying to find out if that was true or not. Obviously it wasn't true. But my phone was blowing up, and I was just trying to do everything possible just to get away from it.”

Detmers had been on an impressive stretch over his last three starts since the break, posting a 1.65 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. He kept it rolling early in his outing against the Orioles, allowing just one hit over the first three innings.

But he seemingly lost it in the fourth, as he walked Gunnar Henderson with one out before serving up back-to-back homers to Tyler O’Neill and Coby Mayo. He then gave up a double to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, but he got out of the inning without further trouble by getting Jackson Holliday to fly out and Jeremiah Jackson to ground out.

“I kind of lost command a little bit,” Detmers said. “Velo wasn't really there all day. Just kind of felt out of sync. I had a couple off-days there in between, so I was just trying to find it, and I think I exhausted myself trying to find it. And obviously it wasn't very good.”

With Detmers at 81 pitches, the Angels opted to go to the bullpen, as they’ve been cautious with him recently. Detmers, who has made the transition back to starting after pitching in relief last year, hasn’t thrown more than 86 pitches in any of his last five starts.

“He just looked gassed,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “Obviously it's hot out there, and it just looked like he was gassed. He was working hard, and we felt like the best option was just to go to the bullpen right there.”

Interim general manager John Mozeliak said he did entertain offers for Detmers and Neto (but not superstar Mike Trout), but never found a proposal to his liking. He indicated he’s pleased to have both still in the organization, as Detmers is under team control through 2028 while Neto isn’t a free agent until after the ‘29 season.

“We definitely listened to offers on them, but we were not comfortable with the offers we received,” Mozeliak said. “And given the talents of those two individuals, we are certainly happy they are part of our organization moving forward."