Minneapolis, MN – Joe Mauer had four hits and three RBI for the second straight game, and the Minnesota Twins clubbed their way to an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second installment of a three-game set at Target Field.
Minnesota topped Monday's season-high 12-hit performance with 15 on Tuesday to collect its second straight win over the Angels. Mauer extended his personal hitting streak to nine games.
"A lot of guys came through in different situations," said Mauer. "It was nice to see, you got to do that to beat good teams."
Brian Dozier went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while Justin Morneau and Wilkin Ramirez each had two hits and an RBI in the victory to send Los Angeles to its second 4-10 start in club history.
Mike Pelfrey (1-1) was just good enough to pick up the win. He was charged with four runs on seven hits over five innings of work. Glen Perkins worked out of a jam to notch his third save.
The Angels have had only one starter pitch into the seventh inning this season, and Jason Vargas (0-2) wasn't even close in his attempt, needing 90 pitches to get through 3 1/3 frames. He was lit up for five runs on nine hits.
"There's not one magic cure for all the guys that are struggling right now," Angels manager Mike Sciosca said. "Everybody has their own unique set of circumstances and they're going to have to make the adjustments according to their own game and what they need to do."
Mike Trout recorded his fourth multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Albert Pujols, Peter Bourjos and Andrew Romine had an RBI apiece in the setback, the Angels' seventh in nine games.
Pujols represented the tying run in the ninth after Trout had ripped a two- out, two-run double, but was unable to beat out his hard-hit grounder off the glove of third baseman Trevor Plouffe. It ricocheted to shortstop Pedro Florimon, and his throw to first beat Pujols by a step.
The Twins scored at least one run from the second inning to the fifth, and took the lead for good in the fourth on Morneau's RBI single, which ended Vargas' night and put Minnesota ahead, 5-4.
"Definitely not doing my job out there and getting us to the point where we need to be," said Vargas.
They tacked on two more in the fifth. Vargas had been replaced by Jerome Williams, who got the first two outs of the inning, but then allowed the next three batters to reach. Dozier made it 7-4 with a line drive single to center.
Anthony Swarzak came on in relief of Pelfrey in the sixth and pitched into the ninth. He left after allowing three batters to reach and was charged with two unearned runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Vargas struggled early, giving up three runs during a 38-pitch second inning. Florimon plated the first for Minnesota with a sac fly, and after Vargas loaded the bases by walking Dozier, Mauer sent a two-run single up the middle.
The Angels countered with three runs in the third off Pelfrey. With the bases loaded, Bourjos pushed a run across on a force out at second, and back-to-back singles through the hole at short from Trout and Pujols tied it at 3-3.
Ramirez put Minnesota back in front in the bottom half with a sac fly, but the Angels had three singles in the fourth before Romine tied the game on a groundout at second base.
Game Notes
Mauer last had back-to-back four-hit games on June 26-27, 2006 ... The Angels last started 4-10 in 1961 ... Los Angeles was 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and are just 16-for-103 so far this season ... The Angels had won the nine of the last 10 series with the Twins coming in ... Ramirez left the game in the fifth inning after being hit in the back on a pickoff attempt.
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