ANAHEIM -- In his last start ahead of Monday’s Trade Deadline, lefty Reid Detmers turned in his third straight strong outing since the All-Star break to boost his potential trade value.
Detmers struck out nine over five solid innings in a no-decision in a 3-2 loss to the Astros on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. He’s been on an impressive run, as he’s posted a 1.65 ERA with 22 strikeouts and three walks in 16 1/3 innings over his last three outings to open the second half.
“I’m just trusting myself,” Detmers said. “The break was nice. Had time to think about a couple things and kind of decompress a little bit and get my mechanics back to how they were in early June, when things were going well.”
Detmers is considered one of the club’s best trade chips, along with fellow starting pitcher José Soriano. Both are 27 years old and under team control for two more seasons beyond 2026. It’s becoming more likely that at least one of those two will be dealt ahead of the deadline under interim general manager John Mozeliak, who took over after Perry Minasian was dismissed in late June.
“I'd say I'm ready for it to be over,” Detmers said of the Trade Deadline. “But it's part of the game. It happens every year. Everybody goes through it. You can make it stressful on yourself, but the easiest way is just to not think about it, which is hard to do. But, at the same time, you're focused on your job, which is the main thing.”
In 22 starts this season in his return to the rotation after pitching in relief last year, Detmers has posted a 4.03 ERA with 145 strikeouts, 38 walks and 15 homers allowed in 125 innings. He ranks eighth in the Majors in strikeouts, while the difference between his strikeout percentage (28.3 percent) and walk percentage (7.4 percent) is the 13th-best mark in the Majors.
He walked just one against the Astros and scattered four hits, but was hurt by a pair of solo homers. He served up a first-inning shot to AL MVP front-runner Yordan Alvarez on a first-pitch fastball on the inside part of the plate, and later gave up a homer to Christian Walker on a hanging 0-1 slider in the fourth.
“There were a couple pitches I’d like back,” Detmers said. “The fastball that was supposed to be down and away to Alvarez, and then the hanging slider to Walker. But other than that, it was a solid night. Felt really good.”
The Angels were again cautious with Detmers, as he was taken out after 84 pitches. He also was limited to 86 pitches in six innings against the Tigers on July 17 and 85 pitches over 5 1/3 innings against the Cardinals last Wednesday.
Detmers, though, again was adept at getting ahead of hitters, as he threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 20 batters he faced. He was able to put away hitters with his assortment of four-seamers, sliders, curveballs and changeups, recording a whopping 17 swings and misses -- including six with the slider, five with the fastball and three each with the change and curve.
“I thought he was great,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I thought he pitched well. He mixed in some more curveballs, and I thought he audibled really nicely and threw some changeups in there. He really mixed his pitches well and gave us a chance to win.”
Detmers has done his best to avoid thinking about trade rumors, but is aware it could’ve been his last start with the club. He was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 Draft and has been with the Angels since 2021, including his solid rookie year in ’22 that saw him throw a no-hitter and record an immaculate inning.
“You see all the stuff,” Detmers said. “It’s impossible to go on social media and not see it. It is what it is. My job is to go out there every five days and give it my all, and give the team the best chance to win. That’s where my head is at. Whatever they decide to do, that's what it is. And there's not a whole lot I can control on my side. The only thing I can control is what I do every five days.”