Twins break out the bats, and the sausage, in 10-5 victory over Angels
The Twins weren’t perfect on Tuesday, but with the way things have been going over the past few weeks, well, it’ll do.
Kyle Farmer hit a three-run homer in the second inning, and Pablo Lopez earned his fifth consecutive victory since Aug. 12 as the Twins beat the Los Angeles Angels, 10-5, in front of 18,311 at Target Field.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak and was just the Twins’ third victory in their past eight games. The series continues with the rubber match Wednesday, a 6:10 p.m. first pitch.
Matt Wallner and Carlos Santana also homered for the Twins, who returned their good-luck “homer sausage” to the dugout in an attempt to get its moribund offense going.
Wallner hit a solo home run in the third inning off Angels starter Griffin Canning and added a two-run double in the sixth. Santana’s two-run homer in the fifth gave the Twins an 8-4 lead.
Ryan Jeffers drove in the Twins’ first run with a first-inning single and added a sacrifice fly in the third.
Lopez (15-8) pitched seven innings, striking out the side after the first two batters reached on infield singles, to earn the victory — his seventh since the all-star break. He fanned 10, the third time he has recorded double-digit strikeouts this season, against one walk.
After falling behind 6-0, the Angels scored four in the fifth inning on Taylor Ward’s RBI single and a three-run home run by Zach Neto. All four runs were unearned because they came after second baseman Edouard Julien was charged with an error on a ground ball that would have been the third out.
Canning (5-13) was charged with 10 runs on nine hits and three walks.
Louie Varland relieved Lopez and pitched two innings of relief, allowing a run on Jordyn Adams’ two-out single in the ninth.
Twins outfielder DeShawn Keirsey Jr., who started in center field, earned his first major league base hit with an infield hit in the eighth inning.