DETROIT -- Less than a week ago, Matt Shoemaker was just trying to get back to the major leagues. He not only returned Thursday afternoon, he was nearly unhittable while pitching in his home state.

Shoemaker (6-9) gave up just one hit in 7 1/3 innings as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 at Comerica Park.

The Michigan native was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday after making a six-inning start for the Bees on Saturday. He had been sent down after giving up 13 runs in 7 1/3 innings in his previous two starts with the Angels.

"That's as good as it gets for Matt," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's a tough lineup to go through. I can't say enough about the adjustments he made. You saw great fastball command, great glove-side fastball command, a good slider, and he used his split when he needed it."

Shoemaker flew into town on Wednesday night and gave 50-60 family members and friends a thrill in his first professional appearance in Detroit. His only other Comerica Park outing came when he pitched in a high school all-star game while attending Trenton High, an approximate 20-minute drive from the park.

"Incredibly special," he said of the experience. "Family, friends, I had tons of them here. It means a lot."

The only Tiger to reach base against Shoemaker was center fielder and No. 9 hitter Anthony Gose, who singled in the third and walked in the sixth. Gose was picked off and caught stealing to end those innings. Shoemaker had five strikeouts.

He worked on his mechanical issues during two bullpen sessions and tips from Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher and Salt Lake pitching coach Erik Bennett.

"This is a game of inches, millimeters, whatever you want to say," he said. "Mechanically, it was just getting my timing back and getting my body where it needs to be, the right positioning. Both of them really helped me a lot working on that."

Shoemaker got just enough run support. Designated hitter Albert Pujols drove in a run with a sixth-inning single and left fielder Shane Victorino added a ninth-inning sacrifice fly. Huston Street pitched the ninth for his 31st save.

The Angels (65-62) won the series 2-1 and defeated the Tigers for the ninth time in their last 10 meetings.

Detroit's 39-year-old starter, Randy Wolf (0-2), gave up one run and five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out five in his second start since being acquired from Toronto on Aug. 20 in exchange for cash considerations. He allowed four runs (three earned) in seven innings to Texas in his first appearance with the team.

"The first start was something to build on," Wolf said. "I could have done better than I did in slowing the game down and limiting the damage. Today, I felt a lot better about that part of the game. I was able to make pitches when I needed to and limit the damage and go deep in the game."

The Tigers (60-67), who were shut out for the sixth time, have lost six of their last seven games. Manager Brad Ausmus hated to see Wolf's strong outing wasted.

"He probably falls under that crafty veteran category," Ausmus said. "He never gives in, he throws all four pitches at any time. He has an exceptional game plan going in. He does a lot of the pregame planning himself, as opposed to relying on the pitching coach or the catcher. And he competes."

The Angels broke through with two outs in the sixth after Wolf walked right fielder Kole Calhoun and center fielder Mike Trout. Pujols lined a single to left to bring home Calhoun. Pujols was tagged out in a rundown between first and second before Trout could score.

NOTES: Angels 3B David Freese could return for the series at Oakland, which begins Monday, manager Mike Scioscia said. Freese, who has been on the disabled list since July 23 with a fractured index finger, has played four rehab games with Triple-A Salt Lake as a designated hitter. "He's going to play third a couple of days and then we'll see where he's at," Scioscia said. ... Los Angeles 2B Grant Green returned to the lineup after leaving the series opener on Tuesday with right knee discomfort. ... The shutout by Detroit RHP Justin Verlander on Wednesday was the seventh of his career and first since May 18, 2012, against Pittsburgh. Verlander came within three outs of a no-hitter before a double by Angels C Chris Iannetta. ... Detroit RF J.D. Martinez, who entered with a career-high 34 home runs, is averaging a homer every 13.82 at-bats. That ranks sixth in the American League.