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Angels Weekly Review: May 22–28

A dominant stretch from Soriano and Detmers, a historic debut from Rada, and bullpen struggles derail the week

The Angels’ final week of May offered a reminder of both the promise and the challenges facing the club. The rotation delivered several outstanding performances, including dominant outings from Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers, while top prospect Nelson Rada made an immediate impact in his major league debut. But inconsistent bullpen performances—particularly in late innings—turned several winnable games into frustrating losses.

The week began with one of the most painful defeats of the season.

May 22 — Rangers 8, Angels 2
Bullpen collapse wastes Soriano gem
Jose Soriano delivered one of his best starts of the season against Texas, overpowering the Rangers lineup with his electric fastball and breaking pitches. The right-hander allowed only two hits over 5⅓ scoreless innings, striking out eight while walking four. Sam Bachman followed and continued the strong pitching performance, escaping a sixth-inning jam and throwing 1⅔ scoreless innings to preserve a 2-0 Angels lead heading into the eighth. Then everything unraveled.

Robert Stephenson entered in the eighth and immediately surrendered a solo home run to Jake Burger, cutting the lead to 2-1. After retiring Josh Smith, Stephenson allowed three consecutive singles, loading the bases. He struck out Corey Seager for the second out, but the Angels turned to Ben Joyce with the tying run just 90 feet away. Joyce hit Adolis Garcia with a pitch, forcing home the tying run. From there, the inning became a disaster. Joyce allowed four straight hits, including another home run by Burger—a three-run shot that gave Texas a commanding lead. Burger became the second Rangers player in franchise history to hit two home runs in the same inning (Carl Everett, 2002).

A game dominated by Angels pitching for seven innings became an 8-2 loss because of one disastrous frame.

May 23 — Rangers 5, Angels 2
deGrom reminds everyone why he is elite
When healthy, Jacob deGrom remains one of baseballÂ’s most dominant pitchers, and he showed exactly why on Saturday afternoon. The Rangers ace controlled the game from the opening inning, allowing the Texas offense to build an early advantage that the Angels could not overcome. Los Angeles managed only two runs as deGromÂ’s combination of velocity, command, and devastating breaking stuff kept hitters off balance.Jorge Soler provided the offensive highlight, collecting two hits, including his 10th home run of the season, but the Angels fell 5-2.

May 24 — Rangers 7, Angels 5
Late homer completes Texas sweep[/B]
The Angels appeared headed toward a victory after building a 5-2 lead through five innings. George Valera provided the biggest blow with a two-run home run in the third inning, continuing to show the offensive upside that made him one of the organization's most intriguing young players. But the Rangers battled back. Texas scored three runs against Jose Fermin, highlighted by a two-run home run from Sebastian Wolcott, tying the game. The decisive blow came in the ninth. Josh Smith launched a two-run homer off Chase Silseth, giving Texas a 7-5 victory and completing the sweep.

The series highlighted a recurring issue for the Angels: strong early pitching and offense were not enough when the bullpen could not protect leads late.

May 25 — Off Day

May 26 — Angels 8, Tigers 3
Nelson Rada announces himself; Detmers dominates
Nelson Rada’s major league debut became the story of the night. The highly regarded outfield prospect immediately showed why scouts have been excited about his combination of speed, plate discipline, and ability to control the strike zone. His first major league game featured the type of impact expected from a player viewed as a potential future cornerstone. The lineup also received major contributions throughout the order. Austin Wells delivered two doubles and drove in three runs. Zach Neto collected three hits and drove in a run. Alex Bregman and Christian Moore each added home runs.

But the biggest story was Reid Detmers. After an inconsistent start to the season, Detmers looked like the frontline starter the Angels believed he could become. He attacked the strike zone all night, pitching 6⅓ innings, allowing only three hits, and striking out 12.

The only negative was Chandler Simpson leaving the game with back tightness. The speedy outfielder was expected to miss several games but avoided a major injury.

May 27 — Angels 9, Tigers 2
Soriano outduels Skubal in statement win
Jose Soriano followed Detmers' performance with another outstanding start, this time against reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Soriano allowed only two runs over six innings, keeping the Angels within striking distance despite facing one of baseball's toughest pitchers.

The Angels trailed 2-1 entering the seventh before exploding for eight runs.Jorge Soler tied the game with an RBI double, and Christian Moore followed with the go-ahead RBI single. The offensive outburst turned a pitchers’ duel into a comfortable victory.

Soriano’s development has become one of the most encouraging storylines of the season. His ability to consistently miss bats while working deeper into games has given the Angels a legitimate rotation anchor.

May 28 — Tigers 10, Angels 1
Opener strategy works early; bullpen struggles again
The Angels used John Means as an opener, before turning the game over to Logan Allen. The Angels grabbed an early lead when Jorge Soler hit a solo home run in the second inning.

Allen performed well in the bulk role, pitching five effective innings and giving the Angels a chance. The game remained close, with Detroit tying the score in the third and taking a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Kirby Yates entered in the seventh and escaped trouble, but the eighth inning again exposed the Angels’ bullpen problems. Yates ran into difficulty, and Stephenson entered hoping to stabilize the inning. Instead, the struggles continued. Stephenson allowed six consecutive batters to reach base, including a grand slam by Jake Rogers. All three inherited runners scored, and Stephenson was charged with five runs of his own as Detroit pulled away for a 10-1 victory.

Mike Trout has started to hit a little but and pushed his batting average above .200 for the first time all season. He left the game with a bruised thigh after being hit by a pitch. Though jot serious, the Angels placed him on the IL in an abundance of caution and recalled Jahmai Jones from waivers.

Weekly Takeaways
1. The rotation is carrying the team
The Angels received elite-level performances from Soriano and Detmers. Soriano’s back-to-back strong starts against Texas and Detroit showed why the organization believes he can develop into a frontline starter.
2. Reid Detmers may be turning a corner
The 12-strikeout performance was the type of outing the Angels have been waiting for. When Detmers attacks the strike zone and trusts his fastball, his swing-and-miss ability remains among the best on the staff.
3. Nelson Rada’s arrival changes the conversation
Rada’s debut reinforced his reputation as one of the organization's most advanced prospects. His elite plate discipline and speed give the Angels a potential top-of-the-order player for years to come.
4. The bullpen remains the biggest concern
The losses to Texas and Detroit followed the same frustrating pattern: strong starting pitching, a competitive game late, and a bullpen collapse.bStephenson’s recent struggles are particularly concerning, while Joyce continues to experience the growing pains expected from a young power arm learning to handle high-leverage situations.

The Angels showed during this week that they can compete with elite teams when the rotation performs. The next challenge is finding enough late-inning reliability to turn those performances into wins.