Reid Detmers (2-5, 4.00) vs. Merrill Kelly (5-5, 5.46) at 6:40 PM MT in Phoenix, with the Angels trying to keep the season-series from getting away early. Detmers walks into Chase Field off a 7-inning, 1-run, 9-strikeout, zero-walk masterpiece against Houston — 89 pitches and he never blinked.
That's the angle: the Halos are 29-44 and the injury list reads like a fantasy keeper league, but the guy on the mound has been the closest thing they have to an ace down the stretch. Kelly, meanwhile, is sitting on a 5.46 ERA and got tagged with the loss in Miami last week — 6 innings, 2 earned runs, but only 1 punchout. The stuff isn't missing the way it used to.
Arizona enters at 37-35 and feeling pretty good about itself after Pavin Smith's tiebreaking solo shot off the right-field foul pole walked off the opener 4-3. Ryne Nelson gave them 7 quality innings in that one, which is exactly the kind of length this rotation has needed with Corbin Burnes shut down indefinitely after a teres major strain. The bullpen has been carrying water all year, and the Burnes news means it's going to keep carrying water.
- Day-To-DayJose Soriano SP — Soriano (8-4) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out five over five shutout innings to earn the win over the Rays on Saturday.
- 10-Day-ILVaughn Grissom 2B — Grissom (oblique) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, going 2-for-5 with and RBI and a run scored.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Soler DH — Soler (oblique) ran on the field and did some light baseball activities Friday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILAdam Frazier 2B — Frazier (elbow) took part in light baseball activities Friday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILSebastian Rivero C — Rivero was removed from Tuesday's game against the Astros with an apparent left hand injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILGustavo Campero C — The Angels selected Campero's contract from Double-A Rocket City and placed him on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured hand.
- 15-Day-ILGrayson Rodriguez SP — Rodriguez exited Sunday's contest against Tampa Bay in the third frame due to lower-back tightness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) is no longer wearing a walking boot, and he played catch on the field Wednesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayA.J. Vukovich CF — no
- Day-To-DayDerek Law RP — no
- Day-To-DayKyle Amendt RP — Amendt was invited to major-league spring training by the Diamondbacks, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 10-Day-ILJames McCann C — McCann (quadriceps) is expected to begin playing in complex league games next week, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
- developmental listJuan Centeno C — The Diamondbacks re-assigned Centeno to minor-league camp Friday.
- 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk RP — The Diamondbacks paused Puk's (elbow) rehab Friday due to left shoulder discomfort, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Santana 1B — Santana (thigh) began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Friday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
- 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes SP — Manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Burnes (elbow) has been shut down from throwing after suffering a teres major strain, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
For the Angels, the injury sheet is the story whether you want it to be or not. Anthony Rendon, Yoan Moncada, Travis d'Arnaud, Jorge Soler, Robert Stephenson, Jack Kochanowicz (Tommy John) — that's a lineup and a rotation gutted, and the team is still hovering at a respectable-for-them clip. Jose Soriano just threw 5 shutout innings against the Rays before this trip, so the rotation behind Detmers isn't a total disaster zone.
Pinnacle has this as close to a coin flip — Arizona -107, Angels -103 — and the total is parked at 8.5. That tracks with a Detmers-vs.-shaky-Kelly script where the Angels' bats have to actually show up against a guy whose ERA suggests they should. They're 29-44 for a reason.