
A tough home stand continues tonight at the Angels host the defending American League champions for a three game set starting tonight. Toronto has thus far not played up to expectations but does have its newly signed ace on the hill in game one and an offense that is waiting to bust loose.
Here is a rundown of the series.
Reid Detmers vs. Dylan Cease
Reid Detmers move to the rotation is going well so far. His keys to being an effective starter are attacking the zone and mixing his pitch arsenal. So far in 4 starts Detmers is sporting a solid 3.57 ERA across 22.2 innings.
Signed to lead the rotation in Toronto, Dylan Cease is earning his contract. 20.2 innings pitched, 32 K's, a 1.74 ERA. He is earning his money so far and he's making a lot of money.
Jack Kochanowicz vs. Patrick Corbin
Silent C, as Kochanowicz is known, had a solid outing against the Yankees last week. The knock on him has always been a lack of strikeouts but he now controls a change up that is getting whiffs. In his last two starts, Kochanowicz has pitched 13.2 innings while only allowing 4 runs. His 8 K's over that time frame is a bit light but 6 came in New York.
Patrick Corbin was part of the Angels stellar 2009 draft class that included Mike Trout, Randall Grichuk, and Tyler Skaggs. He never suited up for the Angels but has carved out a really nice career. So far this year the 36 year old southpaw has only pitched 9.2 innings and given up 5 runs.
Jose Soriano vs. Eric Lauer
It has been a couple of years since Angels fans had a pitcher they believed would get them a win every time out. Soriano is that guy right now. He is simply dominant. His ERA won't start with a zero forever, but Angels fans should feel good about their chances in this game.
For his career, Eric Lauer sports an ERA+ of 98 making him the epitome of an average MLB pitcher. So far in 2026 the Blue Jays lefty has a nice 16 K's in 17.2 innings but has also been tagged 16 hits and 14 runs.
Vlad Jr. is hitting .333 and getting on base at a .429 clip. The power has not yet shone through as he only has 1 home run. Ernie Clement is a nice spark as well wtih 9 doubles and a .302 batting average.
Injuries have hit Toronto hard, especially on the pitching side, but Dylan Cease is dominant right now as mentioned above.
I hate playing a team that has been under performing. At some point they are bound to rebound. But I think the Angels have a big pitching edge on Wednesday in Soriano that balances out the big edge Toronto has tonight in Cease.
That leaves tomorrow's Corbin vs. Kochanowicz game to swing the series and I'm going to take the home squad. Mike Trout and Jo Adell had their return to earth this weekend and should heat back up a bit while the Angels starters keep them in the game.
2-1 series win for the Angels.
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