Angels out-hit Cardinals, but can't outscore them

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Reid Detmers had another stellar start out of the All-Star Break on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, but he was facing a different kind of foe while battling it out with the Cardinals: the summer sun. 

It was a hot one at game time and Detmers was at the mercy of the Wednesday afternoon sun the entire time on the mound. While he more or less cruised through the Cardinals lineup for most of his start, fatigue started to set in as his velocity steadily dropped the entire game, going from 94.1 MPH on his first fastball of the game to just 91.9 on his last. 

"It was just hot. The first couple innings felt really good and then the longer I stayed out there, obviously the more tired I got," Detmers said. "But, I didn't really feel like my stuff felt bad. Just the velo's down a little bit. Stuff felt really good actually." 

That last fastball was also the one that caused him the most trouble considering that JJ Wentworth took it for a ride for his 15th home run of the season, a solo shot that broke a scoreless tie and put the Cardinals ahead 1-0 in the top of the sixth. 

After that, manager Kurt Suzuki from the game to finish what was otherwise an outstanding start with Detmers going 5.1 innings pitched with just one earned run, two hits and two walks allowed while striking out six. 

Streaky Offense

Despite having seven hits to the Cardinals' three, the Angels couldn't get a single run across in a 1-0 loss and their streaky offense has been a recurring issue since coming back from the break. 

They are averaging two runs per game in their first six games of the second half, but that number is mostly helped by the five-run first inning of Tuesday's victory. Even in that game, the Angels went dormant after the first. After going scoreless Wednesday, the Angels managed a series win with a fairly streaky offense, but manager Kurt Suzuki isn't worried by the small sample size. 

"It's two games. Obviously we would like to get the big hit, that's kind of eluded us a little bit, but at the end of the day, you want to win the series," Suzuki said.

How Detmers Blocks Out the Noise

With another strong start under his belt, Detmers has only elevated his value even more with the trade deadline fast approaching. He's projected to be one of the hottest trade targets not just on the Angels, but in baseball as a whole. 

Still, what happens on the market and between front offices isn't something that Detmers can influence, especially with him having to gear up for a start every five games. 

When it comes to handling his name getting tossed out so often in hypotheticals and projections, Detmers is simply trying to stay focused on the work. 

"Obviously, you see stuff all the time. Try to stay off social media; it's just one of those things," Detmers said. "Obviously, I'm here now and I'm doing my best I can to help this team win and get to where we want to be and that's all my focus is."