Gibson Pitches Into 7th As Twins Beat Angels
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Gibson pitched into the seventh to snap his three-game winless streak, Byron Buxton hit his fifth homer and the Minnesota Twins held off the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Tuesday.
The 6 2-3 innings marked Gibson's (5-6) longest outing of the season. He allowed two runs off five hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.
Robbie Grossman had an RBI double off JC Ramirez (7-7) and eventually came around to score in a two-run fifth that put the Twins ahead for good. Ramirez — who allowed four runs off seven hits in five innings — also pitched tough but lost on the road for the first time since April 19 at Houston, ending his string of five straight road wins.
Albert Pujols homered off reliever Taylor Rogers in the eighth, and the Angels pulled to 5-4 in the ninth with one out when Ehire Adrianza's throwing error from short allowed Ben Revere to reach and Andrelton Simmons to score. Martin Maldonado hit into a double play against Brandon Kintzler to end it.
Ramirez and Gibson pitched evenly through the first four innings before Minnesota started the fifth with four straight hits. Buxton started things with a single and stole second before Grossman's double down the first base line allowed the speedy outfielder to score easily.
Eddie Rosario chased Ramirez with a leadoff double in the sixth and scored on Ehire Adiranza's second sac-fly RBI of the day, off Blake Parker. Buxton followed with his homer to make it 5-2. Parker had allowed only one run in his previous 25 outings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: Manager Mike Scioscia said starting RHP Matt Shoemaker (forearm) could rejoin the team after the All-Star break. He was slated to pitch three to four innings Tuesday in his first rehab start with Class-A Inland Empire.
Twins: 2B Brian Dozier felt better a day after being scratched with lower back tightness, but manager Paul Molitor held him out as a precaution. "I don't see a need to rush him back out there today," Molitor said, adding that Dozier was available off the bench if needed.
MEYER OPTIONED
The Angels sent starter Alex Meyer to Triple-A Salt Lake, a day after the righty allowed six hits and five earned runs in five innings. Scioscia said the team didn't need five starters with the upcoming All-Star break and wanted to give Meyer some work in the minors. The Angels called up right-handed reliever Mike Morin to take Meyer's spot on the roster.
UP NEXT
Angels: Try to avoid the three-game sweep with right-hander Parker Bridwell (2-1) on the mound making his first career appearance against Minnesota. Bridwell is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA in two games on the road this season.
Twins: Ervin Santana (10-5) faces his old team as he looks to continue his strong season. Santana is 1-3 in four career starts against the Angels, and hasn't beaten them since July 23, 2015.
