Nothing was settled until the seventh. The Minnesota Twins built an early lead, watched the Los Angeles Angels claw back to tie it, then answered with two runs in the bottom half to take a 5-3 victory Saturday at Target Field.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| MIN | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 5 | 9 | 0 |
Royce Lewis was the engine. His two-run homer to left center in the second inning — 419 feet — gave Minnesota the first lead of the night and set the tone. Lewis finished 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored, 1 home run, and 2 RBI. He carries 10 home runs and 29 RBI on the season.
The Angels cut the deficit to one in the third when Jorge Soler doubled to left, scoring both Zach Neto and Mike Trout to make it 2-3. Los Angeles then tied the game in the seventh on Nolan Schanuel's single to left, which brought Neto home. But Minnesota answered immediately. Victor Caratini's go-ahead double to left scored Lewis to put the Twins back in front, 4-3, and Alan Roden followed with a single to right that scored Caratini and extended the lead to 5-3.
Joe Ryan gave Minnesota six solid innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks on 94 pitches. The Minnesota bullpen covered the final three innings, allowing 1 run. Reliever Tommy Nance earned the win, his second of the season. Yoendrys Gomez closed the ninth for his 11th save. On the Angels' side, starter Ryan Johnson lasted five innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits with 3 walks. Reliever Mitch Farris took the loss — his first of the season — after allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 2 innings.
Minnesota improved to 47-49 with the victory. Los Angeles fell to 38-58.