The Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels played each other Sunday Afternoon in the finale of a four game series between two teams who are battling each other in the race for the final wild card spot in the American League. Rookie Tyler Duffey started for the Twins, while the Angels countered with Matt Shoemaker.
Torii Hunter got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning when he launched his 21st home run of the season to left field off of Shoemaker to put Minnesota up 1-0. Eddie Rosario then hit a home run of his own in the third inning to score Aaron Hicks and put the Twins up 3-0.
Hicks then drove in a run in the fourth inning when he singled to enter field to score Eduardo Nunez and extend the Twins lead. That would be all for Shoemaker, who was then removed from the game after just 3.2 innings, while giving up four runs, all earned. He was replace by Cesar Ramos, who finished the inning with no other runs coming in.
In the fifth inning, the Twins scored two more runs, the first coming when Nunez drew a bases loaded walk to force Hunter to score. The second run scored when Hicks drew another bases loaded walk, which forced Escobar to score, and extended the lead to 6-0.
Twins starter Tyler Duffey went seven strong innings, which is easy to do when your teammates give you seven runs to work with.
That would remain the score until the eighth inning when Joe Mauer hit his ninth home run of the season to boost the lead to seven runs. In the bottom of the ninth, the Twins brought in Glen Perkins to finish the game in a non save situation.
The first batter he faced was Shane Victorino, who grounded out to second base for the first out of the inning. Collin Cowgill then stepped up to the plate and struck out swinging for the second out of the inning. Jett Bandy then stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter for David Freese, and launched a home run to left field to get the Angels on the board. Perkins then got Daniel Robertson to line out to second base to end the game.
The win puts the Twins and Angels tied in the hunt for the final wild card spot. Both teams are in pursuit of the Houston Astros, who beat Oakland to keep their lead over the two teams at 2.5 games.
Los Angeles now travels to Houston for a huge series with the Astros, while the Twins remain home to host the Cleveland Indians in a divisional matchup in the American League Central.