Major League Baseball
Detroit 3, LA Angels 0
When: 7:05 PM ET, Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Temperature: 74°
Umpires: Home - Todd Tichenor, 1B - Bill Miller, 2B - Tony Randazzo, 3B - Brian Knight
Attendance: 35053

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Rookie right-hander Michael Fulmer, in just his seventh major-league appearance, accomplished a feat usually achieved by a veteran ace.

Fulmer and closer Francisco Rodriguez combined on a two-hit shutout to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night in front of 35,053 at Angel Stadium.

"He wasn't a rookie today," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said of Fulmer. "He's a guy who really trusts his stuff. When a guy hits a ball hard, he still comes after you. He continues to get better every start. I think he's got a bright future. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Fulmer (5-1) had a no-hitter for 6 2/3 innings before C.J. Cron lined a single into right field. The right-hander permitted just four baserunners on two hits and two walks while amassing eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. Rodriguez earned his 15th save.

"I didn't catch him but one or two times before this," Saltalamacchia said. "Before, the change-up wasn't developed yet. He had it but he hadn't thrown it too much in a game. Now, it's become one of his better pitches. You have that with the hard slider and 97 mph on the fastball, that's a recipe for success."

Nick Castellanos collected three of the Tigers' 11 hits, with Victor Martinez and Jose Iglesias each adding two, as Detroit broke a four-game losing streak.

Fulmer needed just 29 pitches to retire the first 10 Angels before walking Kole Calhoun with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. The right-hander then retired the next 10 batters before Cron ended the no-hitter by lining a 98 mph fastball into right field for a single.

"If anybody tells you they're not thinking about it, they're lying, in my opinion," Fulmer said about his chances for a no-hitter. "But I've been there before in the minor leagues and you can't change your approach."

But the Angels chased Fulmer when they put the tying runs in scoring position with two out in the bottom of the eighth. Carlos Perez walked with one out, then moved to third base with two out on Gregorio Petit's ground-rule double down the left-field line.

Rodriguez then replaced Fulmer and defused the threat by making Johnny Giavotella ground out to Castellanos at third base.

"Sometimes, when you haven't seen a guy, you try to feel him out," Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia of Fulmer. "But he was coming right after us, and we didn't get too many good looks at him."

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth against right-hander Matt Shoemaker. Iglesias doubled down the left-field line with one out and came home on Kinsler's single to left-center field.

In the sixth, Detroit loaded the bases with one out yet emerged with just one run. Victor Martinez hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line, then Castellanos lined a single to center field to send Martinez to third. After Justin Upton popped out, Cameron Maybin hit an infield single down the third-base line.

Saltalamacchia brought Martinez home when he lined a single to center field. But Shoemaker ended the threat by making Iglesias hit into a double play.

The Tigers scored their final run in the ninth. Petit, the Angels' shortstop, bobbled Kinsler's ground ball with the bases loaded for an error that allowed Saltalamacchia to come home.

Shoemaker (3-6) issued no walks for the third consecutive start and collected eight strikeouts in seven innings. But Shoemaker allowed a season-high 10 hits.

"All in all," Scioscia said, "he pitched a terrific game."

NOTES: Wednesday marked the 41st anniversary of Nolan Ryan's fourth no-hitter and his final one for the Angels. Ryan defeated the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 for his 100th career victory. ... Detroit placed RHP Warwick Saupold on the disabled list, purchased RHP Bobby Parnell from Triple-A Toledo and designated RHP Jose Valdez for assignment. Saupold strained his right groin while covering first base in the sixth inning of Tuesday night's 11-9 loss. ... Tigers RHP Shane Greene allowed one run and five hits in 4 2/3 innings for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday night. ... Los Angeles placed INF Cliff Pennington on the disabled list, optioned LHP Chris Jones to Triple-A Salt Lake and purchased INF Brendan Ryan and RHP Javy Guerra from Salt Lake. ... Angels 3B Yunel Escobar did not play for the third consecutive game after suffering a bruised left wrist on Sunday against the Houston Astros. ... Angels CF Mike Trout leads American League outfielders in All-Star balloting with 934,137 votes.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Detroit   LA Angels
Michael Fulmer Player Matt Shoemaker
Win W/L Loss
7.2 IP 7.0
8 Strikeouts 8
2 Hits 10
0.00 ERA 2.57
Hitting
Detroit   LA Angels
Nick Castellanos Player Gregorio Petit
3 Hits 1
0 RBI 0
0 HR 0
3 TB 2
.750 Avg .333
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Detroit 11 0 13 .297 23 10 3 3 1 0
LA Angels 2 0 3 .069 8 10 0 3 1 1