Angels’ Nolan Schanuel hits a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Angels’ Nolan Schanuel runs after hitting a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Angels pitcher Reid Detmers delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Angels second baseman Adam Frazier, center, throws for a double play after forcing out Kansas City Royals’ Michael Massey during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Kansas City Royals’ Jac Caglianone (14) reacts after striking out during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Angels, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Gene Simmons from the band KISS gestures before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Angels, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Fans of the band KISS show their signs before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Angels, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Gene Simmons, left, from the band KISS is interviewed before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Angels, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Angels pitcher Ben Joyce delivers during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Angels pitcher Ben Joyce reacts after defeating the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Angels’ Nolan Schanuel hits a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
ANAHEIM — Finally, Reid Detmers has his first home win.
Detmers pitched eight shutout innings with 11 strikeouts, Nolan Schanuel broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the eighth, and the Angels beat the Kansas City Royals, 1-0, on Saturday night at Angel Stadium to pick up their fourth win in their last five games.
It was Detmers’ first win at Angel Stadium this season. He entered the night 0-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 13 home starts this season.
“I mean, you think about it,” Detmers said. “I don’t put extra pressure on myself. It’s kind of just one of those things. But whatever happens, happens. All I can do is go out there and perform, try to perform my best, give the team a chance to win, and just hope for a good outcome.”
Detmers mowed down the Royals quickly and efficiently. He allowed just two hits, both singles, and faced just one batter over the minimum. He threw just 92 pitches, 68 for strikes, and didn’t allow a Royals baserunner past second base.
In his first two home starts since the Angels opted to keep him at the trade deadline, Detmers has allowed five hits and one run in 14 innings.
“That’s what an ace does,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said, “and he pitched like that tonight. Just in control the whole time. Really never any nervous at-bats. You can see he was locked in.”
Detmers had his best stuff from the outset. He retired the first 11 hitters he faced, six via strikeout, and didn’t allow a hit until Jac Caglianone’s two-out single in the fourth. Caglianone stole second to move into scoring position, but Detmers got Salvador Perez to fly out to right to end the inning.
From there, he only got stronger as the game wore on.
He allowed only one other hit, a one-out single by Michael Massey in the fifth, and promptly erased it by inducing a 1-6-3 double play. He retired the side in order in the sixth on just nine pitches. In the seventh, facing the heart of the Royals order, Detmers struck out Bobby Witt Jr., Caglianone and Salvador Perez in quick succession. In the eighth, he finished off an eight-pitch at-bat by blowing a 93.4. mph fastball by Starling Marte for a swinging strikeout to conclude a 1-2-3 inning.
Detmers got swings and misses with all four of his pitches—fastball, curveball, slider and changeup — and earned 18 swings and misses overall, his second-most this season.
“Just locating all the pitches was huge,” Detmers said. “Getting early outs, quick outs. But mainly just fastball command was really good tonight, and I was able to play the offspeed stuff off the fastball. So if you can do that, sorry, the game’s going to be pretty good.”
For much of the night, it looked like the Angels offense was going to let Detmers down and keep him winless at home. Facing journeyman right-hander Randy Dobnak, the Angels stranded runners in each of the first, second, third and fifth. Their best chance came in the fifth, when Schanuel hit a one-out single and Zach Neto followed with a walk to put runners on first and second with one out.
But Dobnak got Moises Ballesteros to fly out to left and veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel entered and induced a Josh Lowe flyout to right to end the inning, keeping the scoreless tie intact.
After coming up empty all game, the Angels finally broke the scoreless tie in the eighth. Wade Meckler drew a leadoff walk before Jose Siri pinch-ran for him. Siri stole second to move into scoring position, and Nolan Schanuel ripped a hard grounder that deflected off the glove of diving first baseman Jac Caglianone into right field, allowing Siri to score easily.
“Reid worked his butt off, and he definitely deserved it,” Schanuel said. “If it happened an inning later, I think we would have felt a little bad. He’s kind of getting a bad mojo or luck when we’re at home, so it was good to get him one here.”
In the ninth, Ben Joyce retired the Royals in order for his second save.
“I didn’t know that was his Reid’s first (home) win in a long time, but I think it was more how well he pitched,” Suzuki said. “We wanted to do everything we can to get him a win.”