Recap: LA Angels vs. Minnesota
Sports Network | August 23, 2008
Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Glen Perkins and Dennys Reyes combined on a six-hit shutout as Minnesota blanked the LA Angels of Anaheim, 9-0, in the second leg of a four-game set.
Perkins (11-3) allowed just five hits while walking two and fanning three in eight brilliant innings for the Twins, who won their fourth straight game and took the AL Central lead by one-half game over Chicago. The White Sox fell to Tampa Bay on Friday.
Denard Span had a three-run homer for Minnesota and Delmon Young added a two- run shot.
Juan Rivera finished 2-for-2 for the Angels, who have dropped five of six but still lead the AL West by a comfortable margin.
Joe Saunders (14-6) allowed six runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings en route to the loss.
The Twins jumped on top with a pair of runs in the fourth. Saunders opened the frame by plunking Joe Mauer and Young eventually blasted a two-out, two-run homer, his eighth of the season.
Minnesota added a run in the fifth when Adam Everett singled, advanced to third on a Carlos Gomez double and crossed the plate when Span singled to left.
The Twins kept pulling away with five more runs in the sixth. Randy Ruiz started things with a one-out single and quickly came around after Young laced a double to left. Nick Punto followed with a single to put runners on the corners with nobody out. The Angels pulled the plug on Saunders at that point, calling on Shane Loux.
Los Angeles failed to get anybody on Everett's grounder to short and Minnesota led 5-0. Span then capped the frame by belting a three-run home run over the wall in right-center.
Minnesota tacked on another run in the seventh thanks to Punto's RBI grounder.
LA won three of four over the Twins in Minnesota on March 31-April 3 and despite the loss is still 9-5 versus the Twins at home since the start of the 2005 season...Mauer finished 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 14 games...Span tied his career-high with four RBI...Perkins has won four straight decisions.
