Twins get well timed hits, maintain off Angels

Royce Lewis went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins held on for a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

Brooks Lee also drove in a pair of runs for Minnesota (78-68), which won the rubber match of the three-game series. Matt Wallner hit a solo home run.

Nolan Schanuel went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs for Los Angeles (60-86). Taylor Ward and Jordyn Adams also clubbed solo home runs.

Twins right-hander Cole Sands (7-1) struck out a pair of batters without allowing a run. He was one of five relievers to follow starter Zebby Matthews, who gave up two runs on five hits, walking two and fanning five batters in 3 1/3 innings.

Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (2-5) gave up four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Twins closer Jhoan Duran escaped a jam in the ninth for his 23rd save.

Ward led off the first inning with a 416-foot shot to center, which marked his team-high 23rd homer.

Wallner answered with a solo homer in the bottom of the first. His 435-foot blast was his 13th homer of the season and his second in as many games.

Schanuel put the Angels back on top with a solo homer to make it 2-1 in the third.

Minnesota grabbed a 4-2 lead with a three-run fourth. Willi Castro hit an RBI single to center, and Lee followed moments later with a two-run double to left.

Los Angeles trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the sixth. Adams stepped to the plate with two outs and hit a solo shot to center for his first home run in the 20th game of his career.

Lewis gave the Twins a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. With the bases loaded and two outs, he delivered with a two-run double to left to make it 6-3.

Schanuel hit an RBI single in the ninth to pull the Angels within 6-4. Los Angeles had runners on second and third, but Duran got Michael Stefanic to ground out to shortstop to end the game.

–Field Level Media