Mike Trout drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning, to give the Los Angeles Angels a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins in the series rubber match Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif.
Trout drove in Bryce Teodosio, who had led off the inning with a triple off the wall in center field off Twins reliever Cole Sands (3-4).
Zach Neto hit a two-run homer and Trout went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a run scored for Los Angeles (69-77), which won its second straight game.
Robert Stephenson (2-0) picked up the win in relief, and Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth that included a pair of strikeouts for his 27th save in 28 opportunities and the 474th of his career. Stephenson came on with two outs in the top of the eighth after Reid Detmers left with an undisclosed injury, striking out Austin Martin with a runner on second.
James Outman homered and doubled, Byron Buxton hit a home run, and Trevor Larnach doubled and had two hits and a walk for Minnesota (64-82).
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Outman clubbed his fourth home run, a 388-foot drive to right. That proved to be the only run allowed by Angels starter Jose Urena, who walked four and allowed four hits with three strikeouts over four innings of work.
Los Angeles answered with three runs in the bottom of the third off Twins starter Taj Bradley to take a 3-1 lead. Sebastian Rivero had a ground-rule double when his hard grounder caromed off the glove of third baseman Royce Lewis and went into the stands. Rivero tagged and went to third on a long flyout to center by Teodosio and then scored on a single by Trout. Neto then followed with his 26th home run into the left field bullpen.
Bradley, who struck out five while allowing three runs on four hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings, is still looking for his first win since July 18.
The Twins tied it, 3-3, in the sixth when Ryan Fitzgerald led off with a walk and scored one out later on Buxton’s 31st home run, a 396-foot drive into the bleachers in right-center.
–Field Level Media