Twins start fast, hold off Angels, Ohtani

Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer and Byron Buxton doubled in a run and also threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the eighth inning to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. Kyle Gibson (4-1) allowed three runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win as the Twins avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season. Blake Parker recorded the final four outs to pick up his seventh save.

Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Tommy La Stella and David Fletcher each had two hits for Los Angeles. Opener Cam Bedrosian (1-2) took the loss after yielding a run on two hits in one inning. Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Jorge Polanco reached base on an infield single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch by Bedrosian and scored on a single by Eddie Rosario.

The Twins increased their lead to 3-0 in the third when Max Kepler led off with a single and scored one out later on Garver's ninth home run of the season into the second deck in left field off Felix Pena. Buxton made it 4-0 in the fourth when he drove in Marwin Gonzalez, who had doubled, with his major league-leading 18th double of the season.

The Angels, held to just two singles over the first five innings by Gibson, finally broke through in the sixth when they parlayed four hits, a walk and a wild pitch into three runs. Luis Rengifo led off with a walk, then scored on a double down the right field line by Fletcher. La Stella followed with a single that sent Fletcher to third, and he scored on a wild pitch. After Mike Trout struck out, Ohtani singled to center to drive in La Stella. The Angels had a chance to tie it in the eighth when Ohtani reached base on an infield single and went to second on a single by Albert Pujols. Brian Goodwin singled to center with two outs but Buxton gunned down Ohtani at the plate to preserve the lead. Garver, the catcher, left the game after the play as Ohtani slid into his left foot.

--Field Level Media

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