Nolan Schanuel delivered his first career walk-off hit in the 10th inning Tuesday night, driving a single into shallow center field to score Jo Adell and lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium.
The extra-inning win marked the Angels’ second straight in the three-game series against Oakland, who continue to struggle in June. The Athletics have dropped 22 of their last 26 games and were listed as slight underdogs entering Tuesday’s contest, with betting lines favoring the Angels at -120 and the over/under set at 8.5 runs.
Reid Detmers earned the victory in relief, improving to 2-2 after striking out two of three batters and stranding the A’s automatic runner in the top of the 10th. Detmers followed up a standout performance by starter José Soriano, who delivered a dominant seven-inning outing. Soriano allowed just two hits and one run while striking out a career-high 12 batters. He threw 110 pitches, 71 for strikes, and induced 22 swinging strikes, continuing his emergence as a key piece of the Angels’ rotation.
The Angels trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the eighth when pinch hitter Travis d’Arnaud launched the first pitch he saw from Athletics reliever T.J. McFarland into the left-field stands. The home run tied the game and sparked the Los Angeles offense, previously held in check.
Oakland starter Mitch Spence made his second appearance since transitioning from the bullpen and pitched effectively across five scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, struck out four, and issued no walks, providing a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating stretch for the Athletics’ pitching staff.
The game’s only run through the first seven innings came in the top of the sixth, when Brent Rooker broke Soriano’s no-hit bid with a double to left-center field. The hit came just beyond the reach of a diving Jo Adell and brought home the game’s opening run. It was one of just two hits allowed by Soriano, whose strong command and sharp breaking pitches consistently kept Oakland hitters off balance.
Veteran reliever Hunter Strickland also contributed for the Angels, working out of a jam with a runner on second and no outs in the eighth inning. Since signing a minor league contract with Los Angeles in early May, Strickland has thrown 11 scoreless innings over nine appearances.
Schanuel’s game-winning single came on a 1-1 pitch from Hogan Harris, who was charged with the loss and fell to 1-1 on the season. The hit dropped in front of the center fielder, allowing Adell, who started the inning as the automatic runner on second base, to score without a throw.
The series will conclude Wednesday with Oakland’s JP Sears (5-5, 5.21 ERA) scheduled to face Angels right-hander Kyle Hendricks (2-6, 5.34 ERA). The Angels will look to complete their second consecutive home sweep of the A’s after taking all three games in a June 2024 series at Angel Stadium.
