ANAHEIM — It was fairly a option to make a primary impression.
Proper-hander Davis Daniel excelled in his first Main League begin, a 5-0 win over the Tigers within the sequence opener on Thursday evening at Angel Stadium. It wasn’t his MLB debut, as he made three aid appearances final yr and posted a 2.19 ERA in 12 1/3 innings, however it was a continuation of a strong begin to his large league profession. He joined Invoice Kelso (1964), Andy Messersmith (1968) and Steve Kealey (1969) as the one Angels pitchers to throw eight-plus scoreless innings of their first profession begin.
“The brief stints I had final yr gave me some confidence and helped me really feel comfy up right here and know that I can get guys out on the highest stage,” Daniel stated. “And clearly, the extra you do it, the extra confidence you get, the higher you are feeling.”
Daniel, the membership’s No. 26 prospect, is way from imposing, as he’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 kilos and has a fastball that averaged 91.7 mph in opposition to the Tigers. However he is aware of how you can command his four-pitch combine to maintain hitters off-balance regardless of not having plus stuff.
He allowed 4 hits and didn’t stroll a batter whereas throwing 99 pitches. He additionally struck out eight and registered 13 swings and misses, together with 5 along with his changeup, 4 along with his fastball and two along with his slider and curveball. His eight strikeouts tied for the second-most in a primary profession begin by an Angels pitcher behind solely Rudy Might’s 10 on April 18, 1965. The final participant within the Majors to throw a minimum of eight scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a primary profession begin was Jason Jennings with the Rockies in 2001.
“It was a historic evening for Daniel,” supervisor Ron Washington stated. “He was 21 in 26 first-pitch strikes. He modified speeds. He moved the ball round. He instructed me after the eighth he had extra left however he would possibly’ve wanted to get to 115 pitches. And I wished him to be ok with what he did.”
Daniel, who was referred to as up from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier than the sport, joined the rotation to switch lefty Patrick Sandoval, who underwent surgical procedure on Wednesday to restore a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. He had a 5.33 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 76 innings throughout 14 begins within the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League however had been pitching higher just lately to earn the promotion.
Daniel, 27, was a seventh-round select of Auburn in 2019 and picked up his first MLB win final yr in aid on Sept. 29, 2023, when he threw 5 scoreless innings in opposition to the A’s. However this was much more particular as a result of it got here in a Main League begin. He had 12-15 members of the family there, together with his spouse, Meg, his dad and mom and her dad and mom.
“I instructed my spouse this morning I did not sleep nice as a result of it felt like Christmas morning,” Daniel stated. “However as soon as I bought to the park, I actually felt calmed down and the whole lot felt good, and I used to be excited.”
Along with his sturdy efficiency, Daniel is predicted to get the possibility to stay within the rotation. It’s at present skinny with right-hander José Soriano on the injured record till early July with an stomach an infection and lefty Reid Detmers and right-hander Chase Silseth engaged on issues at Triple-A Salt Lake.
“We haven’t talked about it but,” Washington stated. “However I feel when you throw eight shutout innings, if there’s a possibility, you’re going to get it.”
He was backed by loads of offense because the Angels confirmed off their energy in opposition to veteran right-hander Jack Flaherty. Miguel Sanó hit a solo homer within the second, Willie Calhoun added one within the fourth and Luis Rengifo linked on a two-run blast as a part of a three-run fifth.
However the evening belonged to Daniel, who had been referred to as up twice this yr with out seeing motion and proved that the shoulder points that plagued him final yr are a factor of the previous.
“That was a deal with,” stated catcher Logan O’Hoppe. “The factor that stood out was simply an enchancment from final yr. It was a problem for him to seek out the strike zone on a constant foundation. However tonight was unbelievable. Each pitch I referred to as, he threw it proper the place he wished to and I can’t consider one ball he missed all evening.”
