DETROIT — The initial goal for Grayson Rodriguez was simply to get back on a major-league mound and feel healthy.
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The more important stage is to actually pitch well, and Rodriguez finally did that in the Angels’ 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon.
Although Rodriguez had shown flashes of his old self in his first two starts, in this game he made it through five innings while allowing just a solo homer.
The Angels (22-35) have won five of their last six games, and they’ve won back-to-back series for the first time this season.
One of the ways the Angels could prevent this from being a lost season is if they can develop a long-term rotation. Rodriguez, who is under control for three years after this one, would be a big piece of that puzzle.
The 26-year-old right-hander was one of the most promising young pitchers in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023 and 2024, until injuries stalled his career. Before returning to the mound earlier this month, he’d been out of the big leagues for more than 21 months.
On Thursday, he gave up a solo homer to Wenceel Perez in the second inning, and nothing else. He struck out five and walked two. Rodriguez’s fastball averaged 96 mph and he hit 98 mph.
Although Rodriguez had been up to 97 pitches in his previous start, manager Kurt Suzuki pulled him at 88 pitches because the Tigers had the top of their order due in the sixth, with two left-handed hitters.
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The Angels’ bullpen got the job done after that. Left-hander Drew Pomeranz worked a perfect inning in his first outing after two weeks on the injured list. Right-handers José Fermin and Sam Bachman got through the next two innings, including Bachman escaping a bases-loaded jam in the eighth.
Ryan Zeferjahn worked the ninth because the Angels had taken a six-run lead by then.
The top four hitters in the Angels’ lineup – Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Vaughn Grissom and Jorge Soler – combined for six hits, including four extra-base hits. They drove in six runs. Trout had two doubles.
For the first four innings, the Angels had no runs and just two hits, but they came to life in the fifth.
Jo Adell started the inning with a double. One out later, he went to third on a wild pitch. The Tigers then brought the infield in, and Sebastian Rivero punched a ground ball through the left side to tie the game.
Donovan Walton followed with a single. Neto pulled a double down the left-field line, driving in Rivero. After Trout was intentionally walked to load the bases, Grissom hit a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, Trout singled and then scored all the way from first on Grissom’s hit into left center. The ball did not get past the outfielders, but the center fielder was shaded toward right-center, giving Trout extra time. Grissom went all the way to third on the throw home. He then scored on a Jorge Soler single.
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Trout’s second double of the game drove in two more runs in the eighth.
More to come on this story.