The Sports Report: Angels’ Reid Detmers pitches no-hitter against Tampa Bay

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Mike DiGiovanna: Little did Joe Maddon know how prophetic he would sound when the Angels manager was asked before Tuesday night’s game to assess the progress of pitcher Reid Detmers, a 22-year-old left-hander who was occasionally effective but mostly erratic in his first five starts.

“It’s better, but it’s not as good as it can be,” Maddon said. “He’s got great command, good stuff, great makeup, but I don’t think he’s actually executed a game plan with any kind of consistency. So, he’s gonna get better. But to this point, we haven’t seen the best side of him yet.”

They did Tuesday night.

Detmers, a first-round pick out of Louisville in 2020, threw the 12th no-hitter in franchise history during a 12-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays before an announced crowd of 39,313 in Angel Stadium, striking out only two and walking one during an efficient if not overpowering 108-pitch effort.

Mixing a fastball that averaged 92.3 mph and topped out at 93.9 mph with a 72.6-mph curve, 83.6-mph changeup and 82.6-mph slider, Detmers was in control throughout.

He took the mound for the ninth with his pitch count at 94. Vidal Brujan popped out to catcher Chad Wallach for the first out and Kevin Kiermaier grounded out to second.

Yandy Diaz followed with a grounder to shortstop Andrew Velazquez, who scooped the ball up and fired accurately to first for the final out.

The Angels poured out of their dugout and mobbed Detmers, the pile generating so much momentum it pushed itself from the mound into foul territory down the first-base line.

————

Individual no-hitters by Angels pitchers:

Bo Belinsky, May 5, 1962, Baltimore

Clyde Wright, July 7, 1970, Oakland

Nolan Ryan, May 15, 1973, Kansas City

Nolan Ryan, July 15, 1973, Detroit

Nolan Ryan, Sept. 28, 1974, Minnesota

Nolan Ryan, June 1, 1975, Baltimore

Mike Witt*, Sept. 30, 1984, Texas

Ervin Santana, July 7, 2011, Cleveland

Jered Weaver, May 2, 2012, Minnesota

Reid Detmers, May 10, 2022, Tampa Bay

*-perfect game
————

Angels’ David Fletcher undergoes surgery that will sideline him a couple of months

KINGS

From Helene Elliott: Adrian Kempe put the Kings in position to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, driving to the net to score the decisive goal one minute and 12 seconds into overtime and give the Kings a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday at a disappointed Rogers Place.

The Kings had squandered a two-goal lead late in the third period, but Kempe slid a shot inside the left post on the team’s second shot of sudden-death play to give the Kings a series lead of 3-2. Game 6 will be played on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena, with a seventh game, if necessary, to be played on Saturday in Edmonton.

The only consistent factor throughout the first four games of the Kings’ Stanley Cup playoff series against the Oilers was the lack of consistency for both teams from one game to the next.

A tense, one-goal victory for the Kings in the opener was followed by a resounding shutout for Edmonton at home in Game 2. The Oilers won by six goals in Game 3 at Los Angeles, though the Kings showed a few signs of life and awakened their dormant power play. They turned those stirrings into their most complete effort in the series and got a 31-save shutout performance by Jonathan Quick in a win Sunday night. The only common thread was the team that scored first won each of those first four games.

Both teams have found it impossible to establish momentum, instead finding themselves involved in swings from one tempo and result to the next one. When one coach found a successful bit of strategy, the other coach has found a way to counter it, leaving the teams even at two games each as the series resumed Tuesday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

NHL PLAYOFFS

Schedule and results
All times Pacific
First round
Western Conference

No. 2 Edmonton vs. No. 3 Kings
Kings 4, Edmonton 3
Edmonton 6, Kings 0
Edmonton 8, Kings 2
Kings 4, Edmonton 0
Kings 5, Edmonton 4 (OT)
Thursday at Kings, 7 p.m., TBS
*Saturday at Edmonton, TBD

No. 1 Colorado vs. WC#2 Nashville
Colorado 7, Nashville 2
Colorado 2, Nashville 1 (OT)
Colorado 7, Nashville 3
Colorado 5, Nashville 3

No. 2 Minnesota vs. No. 3 St. Louis
St. Louis 4, Minnesota 0
Minnesota 6, St. Louis 2
Minnesota 5, St. Louis 1
St. Louis 5, Minnesota 2
St. Louis 5, Minnesota 2
Thursday at St. Louis, 6:30 p.m., TNT
*Saturday at Minnesota, TBD

No. 1 Calgary vs. WC#1 Dallas
Calgary 1, Dallas 0
Dallas 2, Calgary 0
Dallas 4, Calgary 2
Calgary 4, Dallas 1
Tonight at Calgary, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., TNT
*Sunday at Calgary, TBD

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Florida vs. WC#2 Washington
Washington 4, Florida 2
Florida 5, Washington 1
Washington 6, Florida 1
Florida 3, Washington 2 (OT)
Today at Florida, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Friday at Washington, TBD
*Sunday at Florida, TBD

No. 2 Toronto vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay
Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 0
Tampa Bay 5, Toronto 3
Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 2
Tampa Bay 7, Toronto 3
Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 3
Thursday at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., TBS
*Saturday at Toronto, TBD

No. 1 Carolina at WC#1 Boston
Carolina 5, Boston 1
Carolina 5, Boston 2
Boston 4, Carolina 2
Boston 5, Carolina 2
Carolina 5, Boston 1
Thursday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT
*Saturday at Carolina, TBD

No. 2 New York Rangers vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh 4, New York 3 (3 OT)
New York 5, Pittsburgh 2
Pittsburgh 7, New York 4
Pittsburgh 7, New York 2
Today at New York, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., TNT
*Sunday at New York, TBD

*-if necessary

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a feeling Tuesday afternoon.

The night before, his team had suffered an uncharacteristic game at the plate. The Dodgers hit plenty of balls hard in their series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates but mustered only five hits and one run in a rare lopsided loss.

Roberts anticipated a response.

“Last night was an ugly one,” he said. “I expected to see a different result tonight.”

That he did, with the Dodgers putting on an exhibition with the bats to rout the Pirates, 11-1, at PNC Park.

The Dodgers recorded a season high in runs and hits, racking up 15. They collected eight doubles, tying the most since relocating to Los Angeles. They also had a triple, a home run and two walks, going eight for 14 with runners in scoring position.

“It was a really good offensive night,” Roberts said. “Just good to see guys break out.”

————

Not only is the All-Star game at Dodger Stadium this year, it is also the 60th anniversary of the opening of Dodger Stadium. The Times will be devoting a special section to all of that, and we want your help.

What do you think are the 10 greatest baseball moments in Dodger Stadium history?

What do you think are the 10 greatest non-baseball moments in Dodger Stadium history?

Among the contenders:

Baseball moments

Some ideas:

Dodger Stadium opens

Don Drysdale sets consecutive scoreless innings record

Willie Stargell becomes first player to hit home run out of Dodger Stadium

Kirk Gibson’s home run

Sandy Koufax’s perfect game

Bob Welch strikes out Reggie Jackson in Game 2 of 1978 World Series

Dodgers retire the numbers of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Sandy Koufax on the same day

Dusty Baker homers in final game of season to give team four players with 30+ homers

Dodgers sweep Astros on final weekend on 1980 season to force one-game playoff

The R.J. Reynolds squeeze game

Dodgers win the 1963 World Series

Fernando’s first start

Rick Monday saves the flag

Justin Turner’s playoff walkoff homer

Fernando’s no-hitter

Ramon Martinez strikes out 18 Braves

Dennis Martinez’s perfect game against Dodgers

Hideo Nomo strikes out 17 Marlins

Mike Piazza hits it out of Dodger Stadium

Four homers to tie it in bottom of the ninth, plus one in extra innings to win

Steve Finley’s walkoff grand slam to clinch the division in 2004

Charlie Culberson homers in extra innings to win Vin Scully’s final game at Dodger Stadium

Vin Scully addresses the crowd and sings “Wind Beneath My Wings” at final Dodger Stadium game

Juan Uribe’s home run in 2013 NLDS Game 4

Three straight homers to tie it against Philadelphia

The 1980 All-Star game

Gibson scoring from second on a wild pitch to win a game

Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager go back-to-back off Ron Guidry in pivotal Game 5 of 1981 World Series

The crowd chanting “Go Maury Go” when Maury Wills got on base

Chris Taylor’s 2021 wild-card walkoff homer vs the Cardinals

Those are just a few of the many moments to choose from. Don’t feel limited to that list at all. Please list your choices for the 10 best baseball moments at Dodger Stadium in order from 1-10, with one being the most memorable moment, and email them to me at [email protected]. Remember, these moments had to take place in Dodger Stadium.

Non-baseball moments

Some ideas:

Ski jumping exhibition (Oct. 25-27, 1963): As part of the 1963 Giant International Ski Show, a 165-foot ski jump was built in right field. The jump hill was 28 stories high, nearly twice the height of Dodger Stadium.

Harlem Globetrotters (Feb. 2, 1964): The only basketball game ever played at Dodger Stadium. A basketball game preceded the Globetrotters featuring the 1963 Dodgers vs. the 1963 Chicago Bears.

The Beatles concert (Aug. 28, 1966)

Elton John concert (Oct. 25-26, 1975)

The Jacksons Victory tour concerts (Nov. 30-Dec. 9, 1984)

The Pope holds mass at Dodger Stadium (Sept. 16, 1987)

The Three Tenors concert (July 16, 1994)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert (Aug. 17, 2003)

Madonna concert (Nov. 6, 2008)

Guinness international champions cup (Aug. 3, 2013): The tournament began in Spain in July 2013, and the first semi-final took place at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 3, the first time a soccer match was held there. The doubleheader featured Real Madrid of Spain defeating Everton of England, and Juventus of Italy losing to the Galaxy.

NHL Winter Classic (Jan. 25, 2014): Kings vs. Ducks

Beyoncé concert (Sept. 14, 2016)

Paul McCartney concert (July 13, 2019)

Those are just a few of the many moments to choose from. Don’t feel limited to that list at all. Please list your choices for the 10 best non-baseball moments at Dodger Stadium in order from 1-10, with one being the most memorable moment, and email them to me at [email protected]. Remember, these moments had to take place in Dodger Stadium.

————

Top Dodgers pitching prospect Ryan Pepiot to make his MLB debut against Pirates

RAMS

From Sam Farmer: If the Rams are playing Denver on Christmas Day — as CBS announced Tuesday morning — that almost certainly means that the defending Super Bowl champions will be squaring off against Buffalo in the Kickoff Game on Sept. 8 at SoFi Stadium.

By every indication, the NFL had zeroed in on either the Bills or Broncos playing at the Rams in the traditional Thursday night game that opens the season.

The league has not confirmed the Kickoff Game matchup, with the full schedule release coming Thursday night.

Buffalo was eliminated from the playoffs last season in an AFC divisional-round overtime thriller at Kansas City.

Whenever it takes place, Bills-Rams will feature quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Buffalo’s Josh Allen, two of the league’s premier passers, and the added wrinkle of new Bills pass rusher Von Miller. He was a key component of the Rams’ Super Bowl run.

UCLA GYMNASTICS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Janelle McDonald’s to-do list is growing faster than her list of Twitter followers.

Such is life for the new UCLA gymnastics coach.

Less than 24 hours after her hire was announced Monday, McDonald began a media gauntlet. The leader of the most popular college gymnastics program in the country sat in person for interviews with The Times and UCLA’s in-house magazine Tuesday and held virtual court via Zoom. Her busy schedule for the rest of the week includes flying to Phoenix for an NCAA gymnastics convention, then stopping at the U.S. Development Program national championships in Mesa, Ariz., for recruiting, returning to the Bay Area to tie up loose ends and then coming back to L.A. to begin a housing hunt.

Amid the chaos, McDonald found the most joy during the brief moments she shared with her future athletes. The gymnasts who welcomed her Monday afternoon and brightened up her hectic schedule during an 8 a.m. practice Tuesday are her top priority.

“My first step is to get to know the student-athletes really well,” McDonald said. “I want to create a really inclusive environment where everybody feels like somebody, and they know they have a voice here and can be a part of building the culture of the team.”

LAKERS

From Bill Plaschke: Jeanie Buss isn’t happy.

On a May Sunday afternoon when she should be watching her Lakers in the NBA playoffs amid a raucous Crypto.com Arena, she is sitting in a quiet and virtually empty El Segundo practice facility.

Her team has long since been eliminated. Her greatest of expectations became the biggest of flops. Her family’s sizable investment came up flat broke. She’s alone with her scampering Teacup Maltipoo named Delores.

Jeanie Buss isn’t happy.

“I’m growing impatient just because we had the fourth-highest payroll in the league. … When you spend that kind of money on the luxury tax, you expect to go deep into the playoffs,” she told The Times. “So, yeah, it was gut-wrenching for me to go out on a limb like that and not get the results that we were looking for. … I’m not happy, I’m not satisfied.”

You know what happened the last time Jeanie Buss was not happy or satisfied, right? It was ugly. It was powerful.

“We don’t like to be missing the playoffs, I understand the fans anger and frustration,” she said. “I’ve got to make it better.”

NBA PLAYOFFS

Schedule and results
All times Pacific
Conference semifinals
Western Conference

No. 1 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 4 Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix 121, Dallas 114
Phoenix 129, Dallas 109
Dallas 103, Phoenix 94
Dallas 111, Phoenix 101
Phoenix 110, Dallas 80
Thursday, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Sunday, May 15, TBD

No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 3 Golden State Warriors
Golden State 117, Memphis 116
Memphis 106, Golden State 101
Golden State 142, Memphis 112
Golden State 101, Memphis 98
Tonight at Memphis, 6:30 p.m., TNT
*Friday at Golden State, TBD, ESPN
*Monday at Memphis, TBD, TNT

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers
Miami 106, Philadelphia 92
Miami 119, Philadelphia 103
Philadelphia 99, Miami 79
Philadelphia 116, Miami 108
Miami 120, Philadelphia 85
Thursday at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Sunday at Miami, TBD

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee 101, Boston 89
Boston 109, Milwaukee 86
Milwaukee 103, Boston 101
Boston 116, Milwaukee 108
Today at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT
Friday at Milwaukee, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday at Boston, TBD

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1892 — Azra, ridden by Alonzo Cayton, wins the first three-horse field in the Kentucky Derby, nipping Huron by a nose.

1918 — Exterminator, a 30-1 long shot ridden by Willie Knapp, loses the lead but regains it to win the Kentucky Derby by one length over Escoba.

1923 — Setting several Pacific Coast League records, Pete Schneider of Vernon hit five homers and a double to drive in 14 runs in a 35-11 romp over Salt Lake City.

1968 — The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup, completing a four-game sweep over the St. Louis Blues with a 3-2 victory.

1972 — The Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup in six games with a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers.

1992 — The Portland Trail Blazers win the highest-scoring playoff game in NBA history, 153-151 in double overtime against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals.

1994 — The Phoenix Suns, down 104-84 with 10 minutes left, come back to force overtime and beat Houston 124-117 for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. The Suns start the fourth quarter trailing by 18 and are down 20 with 10 minutes to go. Phoenix holds the Rockets to eight points in the quarter and Danny Ainge hits a three to tie the game at 1:08 and send the game into overtime.

2009 — Cleveland makes it an NBA-record eight straight wins by double digits with an 84-74 victory over Atlanta to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers are the second team to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs since the NBA expanded the first round to best-of-seven in 2003.

2016 — Max Scherzer strikes out 20 batters, matching the major league record for a nine-inning game as he pitches the Washington Nationals past the Detroit Tigers 3-2.

2018 — Top-ranked Rafael Nadal loses to Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-3 in the Madrid Open quarterfinals, breaking the defending champion’s run of 21 straight wins on clay courts. Nadal hadn’t lost a single set on clay since falling to Thiem a year ago in the Italian Open quarterfinals. Nadal had come to this event fresh off winning his 11th titles at both Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

Max Scherzer strikes out 20. Watch and listen here.