Anaheim, CA – Clete Thomas went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 4-3 win over the LA Angels of Anaheim in the opener of a three-game set.
Thomas also made an incredible leaping catch at the wall in the eighth inning to rob Chris Iannetta of a potential go-ahead home run.
With two on and two outs, Collin Cowgill singled home Howie Kendrick to pull the Angels within one. Iannetta then came on to pinch-hit for Hank Conger and smoked a line drive to deep left field. Thomas, though, timed his jump perfectly and snared the ball to end the frame.
"I had Iannetta's ball all the way," said Thomas. "I wasn't sure I had enough room, but I got it."
Doug Bernier added an RBI double and Aaron Hicks drove in a run for the Twins, winners in five of their last six games.
"We had a lot of nice defense on our side, said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "They have a tough lineup over there, and (Glen Perkins) got it done in the end."
Samuel Deduno (6-4) gave up two runs on four hits and five walks over seven innings to pick up the win. Perkins stranded a pair in the ninth to notch his 24th save.
Mike Trout and Kendrick drove in one run apiece for the Halos, who have dropped two straight to fall 11 games out of first place in the AL West.
Joe Blanton (2-13) was tagged for four runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings to absorb the loss.
The Angels took an 1-0 first inning lead. With two on and one out, Kendrick lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score J.B. Shuck.
The Twins answered with a pair of runs in the second inning. With a runner on and two outs, Thomas smashed a double to center to score Chris Colabello. Hicks followed with a double of his own to left to bring Thomas around.
Trout singled home Erick Aybar in the third inning to tie the game.
The Twins took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fourth. Thomas got things started with solo homer. After Blanton allowed back-to-back singles, Bernier laced an RBI double to left to score Brian Dozier.
The Angels put two on with one out in the ninth inning, but Perkins struck out Albert Pujols and Kendrick to end the game.
Game Notes
Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton was a late scratch because of a stiff right ankle ... Deduno has won three of his last five starts ... The Twins had 12 hits, but went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base ... Blanton has dropped three-straight starts ... Trout extended his hitting-streak to an AL-best 14 games ... Game time: 3:31.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.