Angels quickly recall Ryan Johnson from Triple-A

This could be a very brief demotion for Johnson, as the Angels would be able to recall him immediately after trading a pitcher. He obviously wasn’t going to be available for several days after giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings in his start Friday against the Brewers.

Johnson walked three and struck out three. He finishes July having gone 1-3 with a 7.89 ERA in his five starts. It would be time for the Angels to think about trying someone else in the rotation, but since they’re likely to trade at least one starting pitcher, they probably won’t have that luxury. Johnson is due to face the Orioles on Thursday.

Johnson held the Giants scoreless over two innings, then fell apart in the fifth as he gave up five runs on five hits, including a three-run homer by Jung Hoo Lee. Two hits and a hit batter would bring a run in and leave two runners on in the fourth as Johnson was chased at 69 pitches. Both inherited runners would come in to score, making it eight earned runs allowed. The 23-year-old right-hander will take a 7.34 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and a 34/17 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings into a start against the Brewers in Anaheim on Friday.

Johnson gave up a leadoff homer to Kevin McGonigle in the first, but that was all of the damage. He allowed only one more hit, so the three walks didn’t hurt, and he posted a 13.2 percent swinging strike rate and 32 percent CSW on the day while striking out five. Johnson has a 6.10 ERA on the season, but he has pitched much better lately with a 2.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a nearly 24 percent strikeout rate over 25 innings in his last five starts. He’ll pitch in San Francisco next weekend and could be on the streaming radar in deeper formats.

Detmers has been a viable fantasy option for most of the first half of the season despite winning only three games, as he registered a 4.19 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 123/35 K/BB ratio across 108 2/3 innings through his first 19 starts. He’ll be followed in the Angels’ rotation by Grayson Rodriguez and Ryan Johnson in their weekend series against the Tigers. Jose Soriano and Walbert Urena will pitch on Monday and Tuesday respectively against the Cardinals.

The runs came in the second, which featured two walks and a two-run homer from Royce Lewis. The rally might have lasted longer, but Tristan Gray made the third out of the inning on an odd delayed steal attempt that saw him thrown out pretty easily at second base. Johnson walked three in all and struck out just one. With a 6.75 ERA in six starts and three relief appearances, his spot shouldn’t be assured in the second half.

Johnson gave up a two-run homer in the second and a three-run blast in the third, but the runs from the latter were all unearned after a Zach Neto error extended the inning. It brings Johnson’s total of homers allowed to eight in 28 1/3 innings this season and 12 in 43 innings total as a major leaguer. He’s definitely throwing better now than he has at any other point since debuting with the Angels, but he remains far away from contributing in fantasy leagues. He’ll likely face the Twins on Saturday.

The two unearned runs came in the fourth. Johnson retired the first two batters of the inning, but a HBP and a Denzer Guzman error followed. After that, Cal Raleigh flipped a little 74-mph flyball into shallow left to plate two runs. The Angels could activate Grayson Rodriguez this weekend, with either Johnson or Sam Aldegheri getting sent to the bullpen or, more likely, Triple-A. Johnson helped the cause a little tonight, but he’s still 1-3 with a 7.40 ERA in four starts and three relief appearances.

Johnson was outstanding on Tuesday in what was his best start in the majors so far, holding the Orioles scoreless over six innings on his way to a win. He allowed just one hit and one walk while generating 15 whiffs to strike out eight batters. The 23-year-old right-hander will look to build on his excellent outing with a start against the Mariners in Seattle on Monday.

All five runs came in the first. After a clean single to start the inning, novice outfielder Christian Moore botched Nick Kurtz’s fly to left for a double and back-to-back homers followed. Johnson finally escaped the frame after 35 pitches and then never gave up any extra-base hits or walks afterwards. His career ERA actually dropped from 10.17 to 9.96 with the performance. He’ll probably be sent down for a fresh arm Friday, but we’ll see.