Los Angeles Angels defeat Minnesota Twins 5-1 in series opener – MLB Update
Los Angeles Angels overpowered the Minnesota Twins 5-1 in the first outing of the three-game series at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, California on Tuesday, August 2 to take 1-0 lead.
Angels’ starter Ervin Santana had an outstanding day with the ball as he allowed a single run over his nine innings get his seventh win of the season. He struck-out seven batters and allowed two walks over 121 pitches long spell. Tossing a game winning spell,
Santana broke down the record of no-hitter followed by a complete game win set by the Philadelphia Phillies’ Tommy Greene in 1991.
"I feel happy about it, but its part of the job," Santana said. "I've been working hard, and that's how I get the results. It is not easy. You just go out there and compete, and whatever happens, happens."
Bobby Abreu kicked off the game with his grounded in RBI single to second baseman in the third inning. The Twins’ designated hitter Jim Thome tied the game at 1-all with his RBI single in the top of the fourth. However, the Angels’ Mark Trumbo clinched back
a lead launching a 457-feet long huge homer for three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Torii Hunter added insult to injury by hammering a 437-feet long one-run homer.
Twins’ starter Brian Duensing received five runs on eight hits and allowed two walks over his six innings. He also made three strike-outs but not enough to save him from ninth save in 2011 regular season. His reliever Alex Burnett tossed perfect seventh
and Mat Capps threw scoreless eight but it was not enough for the Twins.
"It was a tough night offensively," Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We faced a pretty good pitcher. We knew what he had done the last time out, and he was pretty good again. We tried to make him work early in the game, but he used his breaking ball
and made pitches when he had to."
Twins has lost their 59th game of the season and the performance has always been at a stake in road games. Until now, they have won only 24 games away from home while they had received 34 losses. However, they still have a potential to make a
perfect rebound, as many experts believe on the quality of their camp.
With Anthony Swarzek as starter in the next game, the Twins might make a strong comeback in the series. The Angels put in a good effort as they managed to restrict the Twins’ offence. Minnesota will be looking to improve their performance as they go into
their next match-up.
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