Jose Soriano struggles as Angels drop series to Twins in blowout loss
Carlos Santana hit a home run in his third consecutive game and drove in four as the Minnesota Twins scored 10 times over the first four innings to extend their winning streak to six with a 16-5 victory over the Angels on Saturday night.
Max Kepler and Ryan Jeffers also hit home runs and Edouard Julien had three hits and three RBIs as the Twins improved to 7-1 following a five-game losing streak that included a three-game sweep by the Baltimore Orioles.
Twins starter Chris Paddack (2-1) wobbled a bit by giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk but went five innings.
The Twins have at least 10 hits in every game of the winning streak and had six different players drive in runs over the first three innings on Saturday.
Signed by the Dodgers, Art Schallock won three World Series titles with the Yankees. The oldest living MLB player, now 100, counted Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra as friends.
“It just meant that we did a good job being relentless in the way we approached the at-bats,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “To have that kind of production [three runs] in four different innings, honestly, what more can you ask for? There were no breaks. We didn’t make it easy on them.”
Jo Adell hit a home run and drove in three runs for the Angels, who lost for the eighth time in their past nine games. Angels starter Jose Soriano (0-4) gave up four runs with three walks over a season-low 1 2/3 innings. He has walked 11 batters over his last three starts.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks pitched the ninth inning for the Angels, giving up Jeffers’ two-run homer.
“You just go home and get yourself some rest, but the first thing you do is look yourself in the mirror,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “If you feel like you did everything you can do, then you go home and get some rest. It happens. I’m just hoping for the time we can do that.”
The Twins loaded the bases three batters into the game but scored just once on Kepler’s walk. Alex Kirilloff, Julien and Trevor Larnach each drove in runs in the second inning for a 4-0 lead.
Santana had an RBI double in a three-run third inning and hit a three-run homer in the fourth for a 10-4 lead.
“I’ve been preparing and I feel good, my body feels good,” said the 38-year-old Santana, who is in his 15th season. “I have to continue to help when the team needs me and I have to help with defense or hitting. We’re in a great spot. We won six games straight, but tomorrow is a new day.”
Adell’s third home run of the season, a two-run shot, came in the second inning. He added an RBI single in the third.
Kepler hit a home run in the sixth inning and Julien had a two-run double off the top of the wall in left-center during a three-run seventh.
A two-run double for the Twins’ Kyle Farmer in the third inning snapped an 0-for-17 run. Farmer reached base four times on two hits and two walks.
“He’s another guy that has been working hard and it’s coming to him,” Baldelli said. “The times this year when he has had good at-bats and did exactly what he wanted to do, it hasn’t worked out. But today it sure did.”
The Twins won a road series over the Angels for the first time since a three-game sweep in 2019.
Injury update
Angels third baseman Miguel Sanó was out of the lineup against his former team with left knee soreness.
Up next
Twins: RHP Pablo Lopez (1-2, 4.39 ERA) will look to improve on a 5.49 ERA over his last four starts on Sunday.
Angels: LHP Reid Detmers (3-1, 2.12 ERA) is out to rebound from his worst start of the season when he gave up four runs Monday to the Orioles.
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