Minneapolis, MN - Joe Saunders hurled seven solid innings, and Garret Anderson homered as the LA Angels of Anaheim downed Minnesota, 7-2, in the finale of a three-game set at the Metrodome.
Saunders (4-0), who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game to take the spot in the rotation previously held by Ervin Santana, allowed just two runs on six hits while walking one and fanning five.
Anderson was 2-for-4 for the Angels and his long ball snapped a 14-game homerless drought for the team. Meanwhile, Robb Quinlan and Casey Kotchman each drove in a pair of runs for LA, which avoided a sweep in the series and now stands two games ahead of Seattle in the AL West.
Jeff Cirillo and Justin Morneau each had an RBI for the Twins, who have lost four of six.
Matt Garza (1-2) allowed four runs — three earned — on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work en route to the loss.
The Angels jumped on top quickly with a run in the first. With runners at first and second and two down Garza lost the strike zone. The starter issued consecutive walks to Kotchman and Maicer Izturis to force in a run.
Los Angeles added another run in the second thanks to some shoddy fielding. Nathan Haynes reached second when Jason Bartlett threw away his ground ball and Chone Figgins followed by slapping an RBI single up the middle.
Anderson made it 3-0 in the third when he blasted a one-out solo homer to right, his fourth of the year.
The Twins got on the board in the home half of the third. Consecutive singles by Luis Rodriguez, Nick Punto and Bartlett loaded the bases before Cirillo lofted a sacrifice fly to left that made it a 3-1 game. Saunders averted any further damage by inducing Joe Mauer to hit into a 4-6-3 twin-killing.
The Angels got that run back in the sixth. Consecutive one-out singles by Kotchman and Izturis and a walk to Mike Napoli loaded the bases and chased Garza from the game. Juan Rincon entered and promptly issued a walk to Quinlan that made it a 4-1 game. The reliever did get Haynes to line into a double play after that to end the threat.
Minnesota made it a 4-2 game in the sixth. Cirillo laced a one-out double to left and came around to score on Morneau’s two-out RBI single up the middle.
Los Angeles answered again in the seventh. Figgins singled and moved to third on an Orlando Cabrera base hit. Rincon managed to fan Vladimir Guerrero but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire went to Dennys Reyes from there. After Cabrera swiped second and Reyes intentionally walked Anderson to load the bases, Kotchman hit a sac fly to center to make it 5-2.
Consecutive doubles by Napoli and Quinlan in the eighth extended LA’s advantage to four, 6-2.
Kotchman’s run-scoring double in the ninth accounted for the final margin.
Game Notes
Saunders filled the hole on the roster created when catcher Jose Molina was traded to the New York Yankees for a minor league pitcher Jeff Kennard on Saturday…Saunders last threw at the major league level against Pittsburgh back on June 22, a game in which he allowed four runs on seven hits and fanned three in six innings of work.
