Reid Detmers dominates and Angels beat Astros in 10 innings

ANAHEIM — José Siri made sure the Angels didn’t waste another brilliant performance from Reid Detmers.

Siri’s walk-off single in the 10th gave the Angels a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night, saving the Angels from what would have been a discouraging loss on a night when Detmers dominated.

“Definitely an outing you don’t want to waste,” Manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I thought he just kind of piggybacked off what he did in L.A. (six scoreless innings). Just attacking everything with strikes. I feel like he was strike one, strike two on every batter that came up. He’s definitely executing pitches. He’s putting guys away.”

Detmers allowed a solo homer in the sixth, but he retired the other 21 batters he faced, with nine strikeouts.

Still, the Angels needed to work to make sure they won the game. Suzuki pulled Detmers after 89 pitches, and Chase Silseth gave up a game-tying homer to Cam Smith, the first batter he faced in the eighth.

After Silseth, though, the Angels’ relievers did a nice job and the hitters executed in the 10th to push home the winner.

Right-hander Sam Bachman got through the ninth. The Astros nearly scored the go-ahead run when Yordan Alvarez tried to score on an overthrow, but Bachman was backing up the plate and tossed the ball to catcher Logan O’Hoppe in time to get him. Alvarez was called safe, but it was overturned on review.

O’Hoppe, who had allowed a ball to get past him as the eventual winning run scored on Monday, said he was glad the play was executed this time.

“It’s little things like that that we work on all the time in spring training,” O’Hoppe said. “It gave me another chance at a play at the plate, too. I’m happy it worked out, for sure.”

After the Angels went in order against Astros closer Josh Hader in the ninth, right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn struck out two to strand the Astros’ automatic runner in the top of the 10th.

“Zef’s getting better every time,” Suzuki said. “I think the fastball command’s getting better. The sweeper’s getting better. Definitely positives coming out from Zef. He’s been working hard with the pitching guys too. Whenever you work hard these guys do, it’s nice to see results.”

In the bottom of the inning, Donovan Walton dropped down a bunt that the Astros misplayed, unable to get an out anywhere. That sent automatic runner Nick Madrigal to third. Siri then lined a single into left to drive in the run, giving the Angels (27-42) their first back-to-back victories and first series victory of the month.

It came too late for Detmers, who has been on a roll lately.

Detmers has a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings, with 36 strikeouts and five walks, over his last four starts.

This outing was similar to his May 24 start against the Texas Rangers, when he allowed a solo homer and retired the other 24 hitters he faced in eight innings. Last Friday at Dodger Stadium, he pitched six scoreless innings in a duel with Roki Sasaki.

“Just kind of trusting my stuff, attacking,” Detmers said. “Staying on the attack is the main thing. Just trusting everything and not trying to pinpoint everything, which is kind of like the pattern I’ve fallen into in the past. Trusting the stuff and going right at them. Usually when you go right at them, good things happen.”

On Wednesday night, Detmers threw 71% of his pitches for strikes, including first-pitch strikes to 16 of 22 hitters. He got an 0-and-2 count on eight hitters. His slider was especially effective. He got 10 called strikes and six whiffs, accounting for nearly half of the 33 sliders he threw.

Detmers was still 15 pitches shy of his season-high when Suzuki pulled him. Detmers said he wanted to go back out, but there was no room for debate when he was told he was done.

“We felt like he did his job with seven,” Suzuki said. “We wanted to give the reliever a clean inning. Not saying that he wouldn’t have got out of the next inning, but we wanted to give him a clean inning and have him finish on a good note.”

Silseth had not allowed an earned run since April 25, until he hung a 2-and-2 splitter that Smith belted over the fence in left-center field.

The Angels had no margin for error because they didn’t much at the plate with Astros right-hander Peter Lambert, a San Dimas High product.

Mike Trout hit a homer in the first and Logan O’Hoppe hit one in the fifth, and that was it.

Trout, who had just snapped an 0-for-22 slump on Tuesday night, had not hit a homer since May 30. The drive that just cleared the center field fence was his 15th homer of the season.

O’Hoppe hadn’t hit one since May 31, and he’s still hit only three all season. He is gradually lifting his numbers, though. The Astros gifted him a hit when they let his pop-up drop in the third inning, so he has four hits in his last three games.

“I’ve mentioned the work the past couple days with you guys and it just feels good that it’s coming together,” O’Hoppe said. “It didn’t feel like a fluke or just ran into a ball. I knew what I was doing, I was in control of everything. I’ve been building for the last two weeks, I’d say since Tampa, and going to continue to do it.”

The Angels had a chance to get an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, when Oswald Peraza led off with a hit and stole second and third. Even though he was 90 feet from scoring with no outs, the Angels couldn’t get him in. Madrigal hit a bouncer back to the pitcher. Trey Mancini then hit a line drive that was snagged by first baseman Christian Walker. He threw to third to double off Peraza.

Moments later, Smith’s homer tied the score.