Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers

By Bush StaffUpdated 13h ago·2 min read
Los Angeles AngelsLAA(51-77)
Texas RangersTEX(63-65)
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LAA
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TEX
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Reid Detmers (4-8, 3.62 ERA) carried an 8-inning, 11-strikeout gem over Kansas City into this one, and he backed it up, working 6 shutout innings on 6 hits. MacKenzie Gore (7-9, 4.26 ERA) matched him pitch for pitch, spinning 6 scoreless frames of his own on just 2 hits and a single walk. Neither starter factored into the decision — this one belonged entirely to the bullpens.

Show fees
FINAL
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Total
Angels(51-77)
WLWLW
1
Rangers(63-65)
WLWLW
2
Best BetRangers -133
Postgame

Texas got there, but not the way the price suggested — Gore and the pen needed extras and a Denzer Guzman throwing error just to finish it off. The case for home depth and a healthier roster held up in the end, even though it took a walk-off to cash it. The Angels going scoreless behind a shaky Gore line was the wrinkle the pre-game case didn't fully see coming.

Pregame

Texas gets the nod here off the better season-long roster and a Gore who's trending in the right direction after a brutal first half. The Angels have shown flashes — the Neto explosion, Detmers' gem — but this is still a 51-77 team without the depth to win a series on talent alone.

The Angels were without Wade Meckler (head) and Nolan Schanuel (side) in the lineup, both day-to-day, thinning out an already punchless offense that finished with 3 hits and 1 error. Texas had its own absences to manage, with Josh Jung still working back from a calf injury and Nathan Eovaldi shelved with elbow inflammation, leaving Gore to soak up as many innings as he could without much of a bullpen safety net behind him.

Reid Detmers
Reid Detmers
(4-8)·3.62 ERA
Aug 15 vs Royals
W
8.0IP
0ER
11K
0BB
92P
08/21 Lineup
MacKenzie Gore
MacKenzie Gore
(7-9)·4.26 ERA
Aug 15 @ Athletics
W
5.2IP
3ER
5K
2BB
99P
08/21 Lineup

It stayed scoreless into extras before things unraveled fast. Wyatt Langford doubled home the tying run in the 10th, and after Elias Duran followed with a single, a throwing error by Angels third baseman Denzer Guzman let Langford scamper home with the winner. Reliever Blake Joyce didn't record an out in the frame.

Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels
(51-77)
Aug 21W@ Astros18-3
Aug 20L@ Astros2-3
Aug 19W@ Astros3-1
Aug 16Lvs Royals0-3
Aug 16Wvs Royals1-0
Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(63-65)
Aug 21Wvs Nationals2-0
Aug 20Lvs Nationals0-6
Aug 19Wvs Nationals5-0
Aug 16L@ Athletics2-5
Aug 16W@ Athletics5-3

Neither club is chasing much beyond pride and payroll efficiency at this point, but the shapes are different. Texas has stayed within shouting distance of a wild-card berth all summer at 63-65, while the Angels sit buried at 51-77 with a rotation and bullpen depth chart that reads like an infirmary. Los Angeles still had life in the tank — an 18-3 demolition of Houston right before this series — proof the roster can still hit when the matchup is right, even if the record says otherwise.

Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels
(11)
  • Day-To-DayWade Meckler (LF)Meckler (head) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.08/21
  • Day-To-DayNolan Schanuel (1B)Schanuel (side) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against Texas, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.08/21
  • 15-Day-ILSamy Natera Jr. (RP)Natera said Wednesday that he's managing a tight back and is day-to-day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.08/20
  • 15-Day-ILSam Bachman (RP)Bachman (forearm) played catch out to 60 feet Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.08/11
  • 15-Day-ILShaun Anderson (RP)The Angels placed Anderson on the 15-day injured list Monday due to right shoulder inflammation.08/10
  • 60-Day-ILSebastian Rivero (C)Rivero (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.08/21
  • 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi (SP)Kikuchi (shoulder) said Sunday that he expects to join the Angels on their upcoming six-game road trip and believes he'll be ready to return from the 60-day injured list during that time, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.08/16
  • 60-Day-ILYoan Moncada (3B)Moncada (knee) has been rehabbing at his home and hasn't started baseball activities, MLB.com reports.07/22
  • 60-Day-ILJack Kochanowicz (SP)Kochanowicz's Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was deemed "successful," per MLB.com.06/27
  • 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson (RP)The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon (3B)The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(9)
  • 10-Day-ILJosh Jung (3B)Jung (calf) did some running on the field Sunday and could be cleared to begin a defensive progression within the next few days, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.08/16
  • 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C)Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
  • 15-Day-ILNathan Eovaldi (SP)The Rangers placed Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list Monday with right posterior elbow inflammation.08/10
  • 60-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP)Leiter (ankle) allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out five over three-plus innings for Double-A Frisco on Thursday.08/21
  • 60-Day-ILJose Corniell (RP)The Rangers placed Corniell on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP)The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
  • 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF)Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP)The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
  • 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP)Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23

For a game that produced almost nothing offensively for 9 innings, the finish delivered plenty. Detmers gave the Angels every chance to steal one on the road, and it still came down to a bounce-back throw that got away from Guzman at third. Texas will take the extra-innings escape and move on; Los Angeles gets a strong start from Detmers to build on in what's shaping up to be a lost season otherwise.

MLBLos Angeles AngelsTexas RangersPolymarketKalshiReid DetmersMacKenzie Gore