Reid Detmers provided a much-needed boost to the Angels’ pitching, giving up just one run in five innings to help Los Angeles avoid a sweep in their season opener with a 4-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
After being heavily outscored 24-7 in the first two games against Baltimore, the Angels held a team meeting following Saturday’s 13-4 defeat. Then, Detmers took the mound and silenced the Orioles, while the Angels scored two runs in each of the first two innings.
It marked Ron Washington’s first win as a major league manager since 2014 with Texas. Washington, who was hired by the Angels in November, played a crucial role in motivating the team.
Taylor Ward kicked off the scoring with a two-run homer, and although Tyler Wells lasted six innings without allowing any baserunners after the second, the Angels had already done their damage.
Detmers gave up only two hits, struck out seven, and walked three. José Soriano pitched three innings, and Carlos Estévez secured a perfect ninth inning for his first save. “It felt great,” Detmers commented. “We needed it. The past two games weren’t our best performances.”
With the Angels leading 2-0, Luis Rengifo and Logan O’Hoppe started the second inning with singles. Zach Neto then hit an RBI single, and a subsequent error by catcher James McCann allowed O’Hoppe to score.
In the bottom of the second, Gunnar Henderson drew a bases-loaded walk, but Detmers managed to escape further trouble by inducing a force out from Adley Rutschman.
In the seventh inning, Soriano faced a tough situation with two runners on base and only one out, but he managed to induce a groundout and a lineout to end the threat.
Although the Orioles appeared dominant in the first two games, questions remain about the depth of their pitching staff, with starters Kyle Bradish and John Means sidelined due to injuries. Wells struggled early but settled down, finishing with seven strikeouts, no walks, and allowing three earned runs on five hits.
