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Angels pound Twins to get Weaver back on track

Jun 5, 2007 - 6:38 AM ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Jered Weaver threw seven solid innings and the Anaheim Angels flexed their offensive muscles with a 16-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

Weaver bounced back from a poor start against Seattle on Wednesday by limiting the Twins to just one run and five hits in seven innings. He struck out four en route to his fourth win in his last five starts.

The 23-year-old righthander threw 59 of 83 pitches for strikes and allowed just one runner to reach scoring position after yielding a solo homer to Torii Hunter in the second, retiring the last 12 hitters he faced.

"I felt good and the big thing for me was to concentrate on getting ahead in the count," Weaver said. "It's definitely nice to go out there after the sixth with runs to work with."

Weaver dueled with Boof Bonser to a 1-1 tie for five innings before the Angles exploded for 15 runs in the final four innings, and tallied a season highs in hits (23) and runs.

"I thought the way this game was going in the first five innings it was going to be a pitchers duel and a battle," Weaver said.

It was a good rebound for Weaver (5-3), who allowed a season-high five runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings in his shortest outing of the season against the Mariners.

Chris Bootcheck allowed two runs over the final two innings as the Angels won for the ninth time in the last 11 games and boast a major league-best 23-8 home record.

"We have been playing the same type of baseball on the road and at home, it just works out that we have more wins at home," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. The Angels won their fourth straight as the offense provided more than enough cushion for Weaver, breaking open a 3-1 game in the sixth.

Casey Kotchman and Mike Napoli homered in the frame, while Gary Matthews Jr. and Orlando Cabrera each drove in runs to help break open a 3-1 game with a five-run frame. For Cabrera, it was his first four-hit game since May 7, 2003.

The uprising started when Kotchman hit a one-out solo homer to right field on a 3-0 pitch from Twins starter Boof Bonser - his sixth of the season - for a 4-1 lead.

"(We) broke out tonight with the bats after being consistent for the last month," Angels catcher Mike Napoli said. "It was just one of those offensive games when everything seems to go your way." The onslaught continued as Los Angeles sent 10 men to the plate in the frame. After Howie Kendrick broke a 1-for-26 slide with a single to right, Napoli blasted a two-run homer off Bonser - his seventh of the season- sending Bonser to the showers.

Bonser (4-2) who had won his last four starts, was pounded for season-highs of six runs and 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings and lost for the first time since April 10.

"He just didn't have it later in the game," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "These kind of games happen every once in a while and they are not fun when you are on the losing end."

"I just didn't have my best stuff today," Bonser said. "A lot of my pitches missed up in the zone and they hit them. I felt good early on buy the sixth inning was when the command of my pitches were up."

Ramon Ortiz relieved him and fared no better, allowing RBI singles to Cabrera and Figgins to make the score 8-1.

Matthews and the Angels continued to pound Twins pitching as the center fielder blasted his third-career grand slam in the eighth for a 12-1 lead.