ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Los Angeles Angels don't have many games where every facet of the roster is firing on all cylinders, but they came as close to that totality in Monday's 6-4 win against the Seattle Mariners as they have all season.
Things looked sharp as early as the first inning for the Halos. Reid Detmers took the mound against the Mariners and ran into a spot of trouble early after giving up a leadoff single to J.P. Crawford , but things looked to be getting worse after Randy Arozarena followed with a double off the center field wall.
Arozarena's two-bagger would have been enough to score Crawford from first if it weren't for a picture-perfect relay from Jose Siri in center field to Zach Neto at shortstop down to Travis d'Arnaud at home plate to tag out Crawford in the nick of time. Detmers escaped the rest of the inning scoreless and it was clear from the jump that the Angels were on the ball.
Seattle Mariners short stop J.P. Crawford (3) slides home and is tagged out during an MLB match between Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Edwin So - The Sporting Tribune
Seattle Mariners short stop J.P. Crawford (3) slides home and is tagged out during an MLB match between Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
"Honestly, it felt like a turning point before pretty much the game even started," Detmers said of the run-saving relay.
After their run-saving theatrics in the top of the first, both Neto and Siri carried the torch on the Los Angeles side of the plate.
Siri got things started in the bottom of the first with a double into the left field corner to score Mike Trout from first, followed by a sacrifice fly from Vaughn Grissom to score Siri, who'd stolen third.
Not to be outdone, Neto tripled to the left field corner in the bottom of the third inning, essentially the same spot that Siri hit his ball, to score Wade Meckler from first. Siri came back up again two batters later to drive in Neto, just for continuity's sake, and improve the Angels to a 4-0 lead.
"He's becoming more consistent, right? You're seeing the consistency. You're seeing the engagement on both sides of the ball and it's the maturity," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of Neto. "He's learning, he's getting better each and every day."
Detmers has been a sure thing on the mound since the All-Star break and when he entered into Monday's game in the midst of one of the most dominant pitching streaks in Angels history, he did so just nine strikeouts away from reaching the 200 mark for the first time in his career.
But Detmers, like the rest of the roster, was working through the potential jet lag that one can incur from a 10-day road trip to the East Coast like the Angels had just been on, though Detmers wasn't willing to use that as an excuse.
Los Angeles Angels right-handed pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn (56) throws a pitch during an MLB match between Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Edwin So - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Angels right-handed pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn (56) throws a pitch during an MLB match between Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Still, he was getting knocked around more than usual, finishing with three earned runs, seven hits and one walk allowed while striking out eight, one shy of his major milestone.
Those three earned runs came courtesy of a three run from Cal Raleigh who even in a down year isn't the worst kind of hitter to give up a home run to.
"[I] felt like I didn't have my best stuff tonight, but I was able to get through six and only give up the home run... so I was very satisfied," Detmers said of his outing.
Detmers was relieved after six by Blake Weiman, who gave up one earned run of his own in 0.2 innings of work, but the Angels received some insurance from Denzer Guzman in the fifth inning to ease the tension before Weiman had even taken the bump.
Los Angeles Angels short stop Zach Neto (9) swings and hits a fould ball during an MLB match between Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Edwin So - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Angels short stop Zach Neto (9) swings and hits a fould ball during an MLB match between Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
One of several faults that the Angels have had as of late is an inability to connect offensively in big moments late in the game, but Guzman represented a welcome change to that trend.
Singles from Neto and Siri in the bottom of the fifth followed by a walk to Grissom set the stage for Guzman after Christian Moore struck out to make it two outs.
Guzman didn't waste the moment. He lined a ball to Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez for a single that scored both Neto and Siri, adding some rare run support late in the game.
"That was huge," Suzuki said. I think with two outs, getting that crucial hit that we've been talking about all year... I think Guzzi [Guzman] right there coming up with a big knock, not trying to do too much and staying to the middle of the field."
Ben Joyce took the mound with a 6-4 lead behind him looking to close the door, and even though Joyce made things tense by putting runners on first and second with two outs, he forced Crawford to line out at first to end the game and make Joyce the new Angels save leader with his fifth of the season.
It was a good start to what's going to be the last home stand of the season for the Angels and one that Suzuki is confident will end strong for his squad.
"Little gains every day, just trying to get better. I think with these guys, you don't have to worry about them coming to the park every day, showing up, getting ready to go because they've been doing that all year," Suzuki said. "Whether you win or lose the night before, they're coming out the next day ready to go. Great attitudes, it's been a pleasure, for sure."
