Twins pick up 1st win of season, 6-5 over Angels

MINNEAPOLIS – Jamey Carroll had his first two hits with Minnesota, including the go-ahead single in the seventh, and Josh Willingham hit a two-run homer to lift the Twins to their first victory of the season, 6-5 over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

Chris Parmelee hit a tying two-run triple in the seventh before Carroll drove him in with a single off LaTroy Hawkins. Matt Capps pitched the ninth for his first save.

Peter Bourjos hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer and Albert Pujols went 1 for 4 with an RBI for the Angels, who led 5-3 going into the bottom of the seventh against a Twins team that had managed just six runs in their first four games.

The Angels had the tying run on second with one out in the ninth, but Capps got Vernon Wells to ground out to shortstop and Alberto Callaspo to pop out to end the game.

Jeff Gray (1-0) got the last out of the seventh to get the win. Hisanori Takahashi (0-1) came in to face Parmelee and took the loss.

The Twins started the day as the only winless team in the majors, struggling mightily on offense and getting some bad news when right-hander Scott Baker announced he would have surgery on his elbow and miss the season.

Weaver wasn't as sharp as his opening outing, when he struck out 10 with no walks in eight shutout innings. He gave up a towering homer to Willingham in the fourth inning that gave the Twins their first lead of the season at 3-1.

Then, in a flash, it was gone.

With two on and two out in the fifth, Bourjos hit a rocket to left field, and Willingham slammed into the wall trying to track it down. Almost before center fielder Denard Span could get over to help, it was already over. Bourjos, one of the fastest players in the big leagues, circled the bases in about 14 seconds, scoring just behind Chris Iannetta for a 4-3 lead.

Iannetta's RBI double in the seventh made it 5-3, and with Weaver on the mound and the Twins at the plate, that usually would be enough.

But Ryan Doumit and Danny Valencia started the seventh with singles to chase Weaver, and Parmelee followed with a rip down the right-field line. Former Twins Gold Glover Torii Hunter stumbled while chasing it into the corner and went face-first into the wall. Hunter remained in the game, but Parmelee motored around to third before Carroll, who started the day in an 0-for-14 slump, drove him in.

Carl Pavano gave up five runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Mauer had an RBI single for the Twins.

Hunter had two hits for the Angels and Weaver gave up five runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts in six innings.

NOTES: The Angels announced before the game that RHP Michael Kohn is scheduled to have Tommy John surgery on Thursday and will miss the entire season. Kohn appeared in 14 games as a reliever last season. ... The inside-the-park homer was the first allowed by the Twins since Curtis Granderson did it for the Yankees on Aug. 21, 2011. ... Capps picked up his first save since July 10. ... The Twins send LHP Francisco Liriano (0-1, 11.25 ERA) to the mound to face RHP Dan Haren (0-1, 8.44 ERA) in the series finale.