Los Angeles Angels starter Reid Detmers is on the trade block, but he's not pitching like it bothers him.
Los Angeles Angels starter Reid Detmers knows he’s on the trade block, and it’s not a comfortable situation. But he’s responding with some strong starts as the Aug. 3 trade deadline draws closer, which is attracting even more interest.
Detmers threw six scoreless innings against the Detriot Tigers last Friday, the left-hander followed that up with 5 1/3 strong frames in a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday in the series finale at Angel Stadium.
“I felt good,” Detmers said in a followup piece written by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “Got through five with no runs and gave up two hits. And gave up a home run in the sixth but only one run. And I could have gone longer.”
Detmers was shaking his head as he was pulled, but he knew it was for the best. His velocity dropped throughout a humid day, according to Bollinger, and he’s taking a typical approach to being a trade target.
“I try not to read anything,” Detmers said. “Obviously, you see stuff all the time. Try to stay off social media. It's just one of those things, it is what it is. I'm here now, and I'm doing my best to help this team win to get to where we want to be, and that's all I'm focused on.”
Manager Kurt Suzuki has echoed that approch with his players, with the list of targets including Zach Neto, Jo Adell, Jorge Soler, Kirby Yates and Brent Suter.
“I've been through a lot of these deadlines before as a winning team and as a losing team,” Suzuki said. “And the only thing you can control is coming to the ballpark every day, getting ready to play, playing for each other, and going out and playing the game. Blocking out the noise isn’t easy but they’re professionals.”
Detmers currently has an ERA of 4.05 to go with a 3-7 record, but anyone who’s watched him has seen a dominant lefty who’s at least capable of being a mid-rotation starter. The 27-year old has racked up 137 strikeouts to go with 37 walks, and he’s also allowed just four homers, according to Bollinger. When he’s throwing strikes and dealing, he’s virtually unhittable.
The important thing right now is staying healthy, and Detmers said he felt good despite the conditions. The Angels are being more careful with their starters at this point in the season, which is appropriate given that they have almost nothing to play for.
“He was in the sixth, and gave up a homer, gave up the lead, and nobody was on base,” Suzuki said. “With two righties coming up, I figured that was good for him instead of waiting and then all this traffic on base. I just felt like it was the right time to go with the righty. But I thought he was great. He mixed his pitches up and executed pitches when he had to.”
