Anaheim, Calif. — Davis Daniel dazzled in his first major league start, pitching eight innings of four-hit ball while striking out eight batters, as the Los Angeles Angels shut out the Detroit Tigers 5-0 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win.
“This morning I told my wife I didn’t sleep great. It felt like Christmas morning,” Daniel reflected. “Once I got to the park, I calmed down and everything felt good.”
Luis Rengifo contributed a two-run homer and also claimed the top spot in the American League batting average race. Miguel Sanó and Willie Calhoun added home runs to bolster the Angels, who extended their season-long winning streak.
Daniel, who made three relief appearances for the Angels last year, was flawless in his 2024 debut, issuing no walks and retiring 10 consecutive batters from the fourth through the seventh innings. He threw 98 pitches, with 66 strikes, consistently starting off 22 of 26 batters with first-pitch strikes.
“He barely broke a sweat. He worked fast, threw strikes, and mixed speeds. That was the key,” praised Angels manager Ron Washington. “It was outstanding. You couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
The last pitcher to throw at least eight shutout innings with eight or more strikeouts in his first MLB start was Jason Jennings for Colorado in August 2001 against the New York Mets.
Daniel (1-0) earned his promotion after posting a 5-4 record with a 5.33 ERA in 14 starts for Triple-A Salt Lake. He filled the rotation spot vacated by Patrick Sandoval, who underwent season-ending surgery for a torn UCL in his left elbow last Wednesday.
“My changeup felt good right from the first inning. Having confidence in that pitch opened up a lot for me. I was able to command the zone,” Daniel explained.
Detroit’s Riley Greene managed two of the Tigers’ four hits, but they struggled to advance beyond second base in a game that concluded in just 2 hours, 5 minutes.
“Early on, we were aggressive. When we didn’t capitalize, some guys backed off,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch admitted. “We couldn’t square him up. He kept coming at us and earned the win.”
Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (5-5) saw his four-game winning streak snapped after allowing five runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He had entered the game with a 4-0 record and had surrendered just one run over his previous 22 1/3 innings pitched.
“Bad start. They hit some good pitches. Overall, I didn’t have command of much,” Flaherty lamented.
Rengifo finished 2 for 4 to raise his batting average to .312, surpassing Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. for the AL lead.
Nolan Schanuel’s RBI single in the fifth inning gave the Angels a 3-0 lead before Rengifo drove Flaherty’s full-count slider over the right-field fence.
UP NEXT:
Detroit will send to the mound RHP Kenta Maeda (2-4, 6.00 ERA) on Friday. Los Angeles will sent to the hill RHP Zach Plesac (1-1, 8.68).
