MINNEAPOLIS — Vaughn Grissom homered and drove in two runs Friday as the Los Angeles Angels snapped a skid with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Key plays decided the middle innings
Grissom went 2-for-3, launching the first pitch of the fourth inning over the left-field wall and later producing a sacrifice fly that extended the Angels' lead. Grayson Rodriguez (3-2) worked into the sixth, allowing three runs and six hits across 5 1/3 innings. Veteran reliever Kirby Yates closed out the game with a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season.
- Grissom: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBIs
- Rodriguez: 5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H (win, 3-2)
- Yates: 1.0 IP, 0 R (save #3)
Minnesota starter Zebby Matthews (4-6) yielded four runs and nine hits over six innings. The Angels capitalized on a balk charged to Matthews that scored Jorge Soler and pushed Los Angeles in front 2-1 during the fourth.
Twins push but fall short
The Twins provided a strong offensive showing from Brooks Lee and Josh Bell, who each went 2-for-4 with a double. Trevor Larnach opened the scoring with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Kody Clemens. A two-out rally in the sixth — including Lee’s run-scoring double and an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter Austin Martin — trimmed the deficit to a single run, but Minnesota could not complete the comeback.
| Team | R | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Angels | 4 | Grissom HR, balk-scored run, bullpen hold |
| Minnesota Twins | 3 | Lee & Bell each 2-for-4, late rally fell short |
The loss continues a pattern of struggles for the Angels, who have dropped eight of their last 10 games and sit with the worst record in the majors. For Minnesota, Thursday’s defeat interrupts a long stretch of success against Los Angeles: the Twins are 10-4 in their last 14 meetings with the Angels dating to September 2023, and they entered the game with a +41 run differential over that span.
Series outlook
The teams will play the second game of the three-game set Saturday with Angels right-hander Ryan Johnson (1-4, 6.99 ERA) scheduled to start against Twins righty Joe Ryan (6-5, 2.85).
The result keeps the Twins’ home crowd waiting for a road to series momentum, while the Angels leave Target Field having halted their five-game losing skid there.
