Angels fall to Rangers in extras despite historic Trout home run and solid start from Detmers

ANAHEIM – Reid Detmers was looking to bounce back after a three earned run loss against the Baltimore Orioles in his last outing and six sharp innings later, while he may have left the game against the Texas Rangers without a chance at getting a win, he found his way back to the form that he was showing off before the trade deadline.

Detmers went six innings while allowing just one earned run on three hits and four walks while striking out six. 

"Stuff out really good," Detmers said. "[I'd] like to have that pitch back to [Elias] Diaz. Four straight fastballs. It's usually not a good outcome, but we thought we had them in a good spot to maybe run another fastball in… But the overall was good. Six innings with one run, you'll take take that every time." 

Paige Creason – The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Angels left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers (48) pitches during the MLB game against the Texas Rangers Monday August 10th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

Mike Trout, the Rangers' nightmare

Detmers was helped out early on when Mike Trout golfed out a home run off of Mackenzie Gore to dead center field for his 20th home run of the season to give the Angels a 1-0 lead, but Trout's home run had more significance than just the lead. 

It was Trout's 49th home run against the Rangers in his career, good enough for the second-most home runs against the Rangers ever, behind only Reggie Jackson. 

While Trout has the potential to set, tie or pass records just about every game considering the level that he's played at for so long, his home run records against not just the Rangers, but all his American League West rivals, speaks to just how much Trout has accomplished in an Angels uniform. 

"It was a picturesque Trout swing," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. "It was a good piece of hitting on that breaking ball, hit it to the left center field gap… It's kind of the swing that we've all come to love watching him play these last 15 years."

Paige Creason – The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (27) runs the bases after hitting a home run during the MLB game against the Texas Rangers Monday August 10th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

Meckler saves the day

While the Angels were fighting to keep the game tied 1-1 in the seventh, Corey Seager gave the Halos their biggest scare of the day at that point when he launched a hard line drive out to right field with two runners on, the kind of ball that looked to be a three-run home run that would have put the Rangers ahead.

That was until Wade Meckler stepped in. The Halos right fielder tracked all the way back to the wall and leaped up to snag Seager's would be three-run shot and keep the game tied.

"He's [Meckler] been such a spark for us offensively, playing some really good defense and he's really impressed us," Suzuki said.

Paige Creason – The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Wade Meckler (53) looks off during the MLB game against the Texas Rangers Monday August 10th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

After Seager's scare, the game passed by without incident on both sides through the next three innings after Detmers left the game, taking the game into extra innings where things got off to a bad start for the thin Angels bullpen. 

10th Inning Slips Away

Luke Murphy, whose contract the Angels selected on July 31 and had appeared in three games since heading into Monday's game, took the bump in the top of the 10th. 

With the pressure of the designated runner on second behind him, Murphy gave up a leadoff walk to Wyatt Langford and a single to Corey Seager to quickly load the bases. Murphy got the next batter he saw to pop out, but those three batters were all he saw before being relieved by Blake Weiman. 

Weiman didn't fare much better though. Brandon Nimmo and Jake Burger knocked in back-to-back singles to put the Rangers ahead for the first time in the game 4-1. 

The Angels were playing with the infield in with the bases loaded in the 10th, a decision that Suzuki explained was to prioritize getting the runner at home or potential double plays on ground balls from the Rangers. 

The problem was that both Nimmo and Burger's RBI singles, while line drives, were the kind of softer contact drives that an infield playing deeper may have been able to knock down, thus saving a run.

But that wasn't the case and the Ranger took advantage of Suzuki's positioning to put the go-ahead runs on the board and despite the top of the order coming up for the Angels in the bottom of the 10th, they couldn't get any runs across and fell to the Rangers 4-1.