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Cuddyer's grand slam helps Twins beat Angels

Aug 4, 2011 - 5:52 AM Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Angels manager Mike Scioscia saw enough of a struggling Joel Pineiro and yanked his starter with the bases full and in the middle of an at-bat against Minnesota's Michael Cuddyer in the fifth inning.

The next pitch changed the outcome of the game.

Hisanori Takahashi's 1-0 offering to Cuddyer was sent over the wall in center field. The fifth career grand slam for Cuddyer broke a tie and sent the Twins to an 11-4 victory in the continuation of this three-game series.

Cuddyer added a solo homer in the ninth inning and Delmon Young went deep twice off Pineiro, helping Minnesota snap a three-game skid.

Denard Span and Ben Revere singled before Pineiro (5-6) walked Joe Mauer on five pitches to load the bases with one out in the fifth. Cuddyer's 17th homer of the year gave Minnesota an 8-4 lead.

"He threw me a changeup and I was waiting for it. I was able to get the good part of the bat on it and hit it out of the park," Cuddyer said. "Tonight was big for all of us."

The Angels' defeat also kept them in second place in the AL West, a game behind Texas. They could have moved into a tie atop the division after the Rangers lost at Detroit Wednesday.

"Joel's command was not there," Scioscia said. "We're going to evaluate him tomorrow. The ball is not coming out of his hand the way we'd like it to."

Peter Bourjos homered and Torii Hunter had a two-run single for the Angels, all part of a four-run third.

Twins starter Scott Baker was lifted after giving up five hits and four runs -- three earned -- over three innings. Anthony Swarzak (3-3) allowed one hit over five shutout innings.

"Good night for us, we were swinging the bats," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Swarzak was huge out of the pen for us and our offense picked us up."

Jason Kubel homered to right off Takahashi in the seventh. Cuddyer went deep to left-center off Horacio Ramirez in the ninth, and Danny Valencia added an RBI single later in the inning.

Mauer's base hit plated Revere in the first and Young made it 3-0 in the next inning with a blast to left field.

Bourjos homered to left leading off the LA third. Hunter's base hit later in the inning plated Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis. Alberto Callaspo capped the rally with an RBI single to right field, but he was thrown out in a rundown between first and second to end the inning.

Young homered to left in the fourth to tie the game.

Game Notes

Pineiro allowed seven runs for the second time in his last four starts. He was charged with seven hits in this game and fell to 2-8 lifetime against the Twins. Pineiro is winless in his last four starts to open the second half after entering the All-Star break with a three-game win streak...The Angels lost for just the fourth time in their last 18 home games...It was Kubel's 99th career homer...Cuddyer, who has a nine-game hitting streak, has six career multi-home run games...Scioscia returned to the dugout after serving a one-game suspension.