Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels

Right-hander Ryan Johnson who ranked among the Angels' top prospects to open the season, has plenty of potential. But he had a tough first half, with a 6.75 ERA in 33 1/3 innings. Johnson looked better in his first start after the All-Star break, as he threw five solid innings against the Tigers in a 3-2 victory in the series finale on Sunday at Angel Stadium. The 23-year-old shook off a leadoff homer by Kevin McGonigle to start the game, as it was the only run Johnson allowed, and he didn’t give up another hit until the fifth inning. “It's the first time I've ever given up a leadoff home run, so that was a new experience,” Johnson said. “But I was able to stay focused, stay with the game plan and attack.” After the leadoff blast, Johnson retired 14 of the next 15 batters he faced until he allowed a two-out single to James Outman in the fifth. He walked Jake Rogers and McGonigle to load the bases but struck Dillon Dingler with a 2-2 sweeper to get out of the jam. Johnson, who is normally calm and collected, was fired up after recording the strikeout and pumped his fist into his glove on the mound. It was the final pitch of the afternoon for Johnson, who threw 91 pitches and struck out five. Johnson, the club’s second-round pick in the 2024 Draft who memorably made his MLB debut last year before ever pitching in the Minors, surrendered one run on two hits and three walks to improve to 2-4 with a 6.10 ERA this season. “He really didn't panic,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “We were kind of joking like he didn’t make it easy, getting to Dingler, the All-Star. But he made a big pitch. You saw the emotion, you saw how fired up he was. That was a good experience for him to learn how to get out of those situations.”