​MINNEAPOLIS — The Angels had plenty of chances, but they couldn’t convert when it mattered most. Los Angeles left runners in scoring position in six different innings Saturday and watched a late lead slip away in the bottom of the seventh, dropping a 5-3 decision to the Twins at Target Field.
The frustration began early. Nolan Schanuel led off the first with a double and Jorge Soler drew a walk, yet Vaughn Grissom popped out to strand both runners. Wade Meckler then singled and stole second in the second inning, but he was left there as Denzer Guzman and Logan O’Hoppe both struck out. Meckler doubled again in the fourth and didn’t advance, leaving him at second base.
Royce Lewis punished those missed chances with a two-run homer off Ryan Johnson in the second, giving Minnesota a 2-0 edge. Victor Caratini tacked on a run with a sacrifice fly later that inning, making it 3-0 despite the Angels’ early opportunities. Johnson settled in after that, pitching five innings and allowing three runs on three hits, three walks and a strikeout.
The Angels finally broke through in the third. Zach Neto and Mike Trout scored on a two-out double by Soler, trimming the deficit to 3-2. Soler drew a walk again in the fifth but was left stranded this time. Los Angeles continued to chip away and tied the game in the seventh when Neto singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out single from Schanuel. The rally, however, was short-lived.
The bottom of the seventh briefly looked promising for the Angels. Mitch Farris opened with a double for the Twins, and Caratini followed with a double that brought Lewis home to reclaim the lead for Minnesota. Alan Roden then stroked a single to plate Caratini, pushing the lead back to two runs and erasing the late momentum the Angels had started to build.
There remained a chance to swing the game in the late innings. The Angels put two runners on in the eighth, but O’Hoppe lined out to end the inning. In the ninth, Trout singled and Schanuel walked with one out, but Soler popped out and Grissom struck out on a foul tip to seal the loss. Mitch Farris took the loss, dropping to 0-1.
Soler finished with a single, two RBIs and two walks despite the missed opportunities. Neto went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and Trout added two more hits. For the Angels, the night was defined more by squandered chances than timely hitting, as the bullpen and late-game miscues aided Minnesota’s comeback. The Twins rode Lewis’s early homer and timely hits to secure the win, leaving Los Angeles to regroup after a frustrating finish to a night of “what could have been.”