ANAHEIM -- Reid Detmers displayed why he was such a hot commodity leading up to the Trade Deadline, but also why the Angels opted to hold on to the talented lefty.
Detmers struck out over 11 over eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Royals on Saturday night at Angel Stadium. He scattered two singles and didn’t walk a batter, lowering his ERA to 3.78 in 25 starts this year.
He ranks seventh in the Majors with 167 strikeouts in 143 innings. Saturday marked the second time he reached double-digit strikeouts in a game this season after punching out 14 against Texas on May 24.
“That's what an ace does,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “And he pitched like that tonight and was just in control the whole time. Really never any nervous at-bats. You could see he was locked in. He was hitting his spots, and they weren't picking up his slider. He was throwing his curveball for strikes. It was a really good performance.”
He came into the start with a 3.86 ERA in 13 outings at home but an 0-5 record to show for it, as his previous three wins this year came on the road. Getting run support has been an issue for him all season -- the Angels have scored two runs or fewer in 14 of his 25 starts -- and it was again the case against Kansas City.
But Detmers got his first win at Angel Stadium this year with Nolan Schanuel coming through with a go-ahead RBI single with one out in the eighth. Schanuel went 3-for-3 and has been heating up, including tying a career high with four RBIs on Friday.
“It’s awesome,” Schanuel said. “Reid worked his butt off, and he definitely deserved it. If it happened an inning later, I think we would've felt a little bad. He’s been kind of getting bad luck when we're at home, so it's good to get him one here.”
With Detmers pitching in relief last year, it marked his first home win as a starter since April 12, 2024. He knew it had been a while since he got a victory at home but said he didn’t put any extra pressure on himself.
“I don't think about that stuff,” Detmers said. “It was obviously nice to get a win at home. But it felt good to give the team a chance to win and a really good outcome.”
Detmers has been on an impressive run since the All-Star break, posting a 1.83 ERA over his last six starts. His lone tough outing came in Baltimore shortly after a wild Trade Deadline that saw the Angels trade seven players but not Detmers. He was subject to an incorrect report that stated he had been traded to the Cubs, only to remain with the organization, which holds two more years of control.
His run has also coincided with him using TrackMan to capture data from his bullpen sessions in between starts. He didn’t use the technology in the first half under pitching coach Mike Maddux but asked to start using it after the break, and Maddux was eventually dismissed, along with assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti on Tuesday.
“I’m just having the mindset of giving the team a chance to win every night,” Detmers said. “It’s a pretty simple mindset, to be honest with you.”
Detmers was dominant from the start and retired the first 11 batters he faced before surrendering a two-out single to Jac Caglianone in the fourth. But he got Salvador Perez to fly out to end the inning.
The only other hit Detmers gave up came on a one-out single from Michael Massey in the sixth, but he was quickly erased with a double play. Detmers was overpowering in the seventh, striking out the side to reach 10 strikeouts through seven frames on just 75 pitches. He retired the side on 17 pitches in the eighth to finish his night at 92 pitches with 68 going for strikes.
The Angels decided to go with flamethrower Ben Joyce for the ninth inning, and he responded by recording his fifth straight scoreless outing and second save since returning from shoulder surgery. He also reached as high as 104.5 mph with his fastball.
“Det did his job,” Suzuki said. “No need to push it any farther. We got the lead, and it was just time for Ben to come in and shut it down.”