Angels 7 - 6 Twins
Final/10
  for this game

Aybar's sac fly in 10th lifts Angels over Twins

Sep 6, 2014 - 6:32 AM Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Erick Aybar's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning lifted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

Kole Calhoun finished 3-for-6 with two RBI and four runs scored for the AL West-leading Angels, who moved 30 games above .500 (85-55). Mike Trout also had two RBI, giving the Los Angeles star 100 for the season.

Angels closer Huston Street (1-1) picked up the win after blowing the save in the ninth. Street gave up a two-out, two-run double to Trevor Plouffe that tied the game at 6-6.

Calhoun singled off Jared Burton (2-4) to start the 10th and swiped second base when Trout struck out swinging. Burton then walked the next two batters to load the bases before Aybar hit a fly ball to right field. Calhoun slid in just ahead of a tag.

Kevin Jepsen induced three groundouts in the bottom of the inning to earn his second save and give the Angels a six-game lead over Oakland.

The Angels claimed Thursday's opener of this four-game set at Target Field by a 5-4 score on pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta's sac fly in the ninth.

Trailing going into the eighth Friday, Calhoun drove in two with a double and scored on a Trout double to make it 6-4.

"We left a lot of guys (in scoring position) early, but we got some big hits late," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia.

Trout couldn't snag Plouffe's line drive in the ninth as he leaped into the fence in left-center field.

Left fielder Jordan Schafer had made a spectacular catch in the top of the ninth to keep the Twins' deficit at two. Schafer robbed John McDonald with a jumping grab against the wall for the final out with men on the corners.

"We came up short again, but the boys are giving it everything they have," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.

Angels starter Matt Shoemaker, the AL pitcher and rookie of the month for August, lasted only four innings. He gave up three runs on six hits and walked three.

Ricky Nolasco got the start for Minnesota and allowed three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits in five innings.

Shoemaker ended August riding a streak of 23 2/3 scoreless innings, but gave up a sacrifice fly to Kennys Vargas in the first.

The Angels had opened the scoring in the top of the first. Calhoun tripled to begin the game and scored when the third baseman Plouffe was unable to cleanly field a chopper by Albert Pujols.

Iannetta restored the lead for Los Angeles in the second by hitting the third consecutive single off Nolasco.

The Twins tied it in the bottom of the second on Oswaldo Arcia's leadoff homer to right field.

Arcia, however, committed a costly error in the fourth. He whiffed with the glove on Calhoun's two-out fly ball to right, and the Angels moved back in front when second baseman Brian Dozier failed to make what would have been a remarkable catch on Trout's popup to short right.

Once again, the Twins responded in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single by Aaron Hicks. Another two-out hit by Hicks plated Josmil Pinto in the sixth for a 4-3 Minnesota lead.

Game Notes

Trout became the youngest Angel ever with a 100-RBI season ... The Twins have lost all five games against Los Angeles this year ... Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said Friday that the club has exercised the 2015 option in his contract ... Joe Mauer played in his 1,279th career game, moving ahead of Justin Morneau for sole possession of seventh all-time in Twins history ... The teams were a combined 8-for-30 with runners in scoring position.






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