Trout homers, doubles twice as Angels beat Twins 10-3
By PATRICK DONNELLY
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mike Trout had three hits, including his 37th homer of the season, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 10-3 on Sunday.
Trout also doubled twice, walked and scored three runs. Shohei Ohtani had two hits, including an RBI single in the ninth that keyed a five-run rally that broke open the game.
“I’m just trying to finish strong. We have nine games left and just trying to finish strong,” said Trout, who missed more than a month due to injury but still has a shot at hitting 40 home runs for the third time in his career.
Ohtani’s RBI was his 93rd of the season, giving him an outside chance at driving in 100 runs for the second straight year.
“I would imagine nobody’s (driven) in 100 and done whatever he’s going to do on the mound,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “I’d love to see him get there.”
José Suarez (7-8) earned the win, allowing two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
Carlos Correa doubled twice and Jose Miranda went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Twins, who have lost nine of their last 11. Catcher Caleb Hamilton homered in the eighth inning for his first major league hit.
“We couldn’t push enough across to get back in the game where we needed to be, and obviously at the end it got away from us,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I thought we had good at-bats.”
The Angels jumped on Twins starter Dylan Bundy (8-8) early, as Trout doubled and Ohtani singled in the first. Trout scored on a throwing error, and Matt Thaiss drove in Ohtani with a single.
Trout hit a solo homer in the third, a long line drive to left field off Bundy’s sinker. Luis Rengifo added a two-run single in the fourth that ended Bundy’s outing.
The Angels finished with 16 hits, didn’t commit an error, and struck out 14 Twins batters. Nevin said that type of all-around play is what he’s hoping to see as the season winds down.
“It’s not just about numbers,” Nevin said. “We talk about Sho getting to 100 and Mike getting 40 and guys getting whatever numbers (but) we’re playing winning baseball. We’ve talked about it and guys have bought into it and that’s what I’m proudest of.”
Minnesota got RBI singles from Gio Urshela in the first and Nick Gordon in the third. Ronny Henriquez threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief to keep the Twins close.
BATTING TITLE WATCH
Twins infielder Luis Arraez did not play on Sunday. He came into the day hitting .313, good for third place in the AL batting title race behind Boston’s Xander Bogaerts (.315) and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (.314).
ALL RIGHT HAMILTON
Hamilton began his career 0-for-12, including three straight strikeouts to start the day on Sunday. But in his fourth at-bat, he lashed José Quijada’s first pitch over the fence in left center. He joined teammate Matt Wallner as the second member of the Twins this year to homer for his first major league hit.
“I’ve told myself I wasn’t going to press at all,” Hamilton said. “But this was definitely a relief to get the first one out of the way. I’m pretty happy with it.
“I knew that I hit it well. But I kind of lost it when I looked up because I looked straight into the lights. But I just looked down at the left fielder and he started turning around and jogging. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think I just hit that.’ It was a pretty incredible feeling.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: OF Trevor Larnach, who has been on the IL since undergoing surgery to repair an abdominal muscle in June, was in the clubhouse on Sunday having team officials look at a wrist injury he sustained last week during his rehab assignment in Triple-A St. Paul.
UP NEXT
Angels: Kicking off their final homestand of the year on Tuesday, the Angels will send LHP Patrick Sandoval (6-9, 3.01 ERA) to face Oakland’s RHP James Kaprielian (4-9, 4.43).
Twins: RHP Bailey Ober (1-3, 3.71) will face RHP Lance Lynn (7-6, 4.02) as Minnesota begins its final home series of the season on Tuesday against the White Sox.
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