Abbott Gets By With Little Help : Angels: Offense sputters, but pitcher and two relievers shut down Twins, 2-1.

MINNEAPOLIS —  Jim Abbott didn’t have much to work with Sunday afternoon in the Metrodome.

The Angels provided Abbott with a bases-empty home run in the third and a run-scoring single in the fourth and Abbott ran with it.

With relief help from Troy Percival and Lee Smith, Abbott defeated the Minnesota Twins, 2-1, on Sunday.

Abbott and the Angels accomplished the rarest of feats, winning a taut pitching duel in the unpredictable environs of the Metrodome. What’s more, the Angels picked up their first one-run victory on the road since defeating Baltimore, 5-4, on June 11.

Greg Myers’ homer off Minnesota starter Brad Radke (8-11) provided one example of how accommodating the Metrodome can be to hitters.

Leading off the third, Myers lofted what looked like a simple fly ball toward right field. Kirby Puckett drifted back toward the fence as if he had a play on the ball, but it kept sailing and sailing, clearing the wall.

“I was looking at Kirby and he was giving me a little deke, like he was going to catch it, or play it off the wall at least,” Myers said. “It carried good out there. I was surprised it went out.”

One inning later, Garret Anderson drove in Chili Davis from second base with a softly hit single to left field.

And that was that.

Radke, a rookie, held the Angels, the top scoring team in the major leagues, to five hits in a career-high 8 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts and three walks and earned sympathy from Abbott.

“I know how Radke feels,” said Abbott, who lowered his earned-run average as an Angel to 2.42. “It’s a tough way to lose.”

Minnesota got its only run when Chuck Knoblauch scored on a first-inning double play. The Twins managed little against Abbott after that. He left with no outs and a runner on first in the eighth. Percival then kept the Twins scoreless, and Smith did the same in the ninth, picking up his 28th save.

“Absolutely nothing against the bullpen we had here before,” Abbott said of his first stint with the Angels. “Because we had Mark Eichhorn and Bryan Harvey, but these guys are doing a great job. Troy Percival has been dynamite, and Lee Smith slammed the door today.”

Abbott gave up one run and five hits with two strikeouts and four walks in winning his second consecutive start and third in four games since rejoining the Angels in a July 27 trade from the Chicago White Sox.

He yielded only singles on Sunday, running his streak without giving up an extra-base hit to 15 consecutive innings.

Plus, there was no sign of trouble from the blister that forced him from his last start Tuesday against Kansas City after seven innings. The blister is still there, on the middle finger of his left hand, but it never flared up as in his last start, a 4-0 Angel victory.

“This is a difficult place to pitch,” Abbott said. “A lot of crazy things can happen in this building. It’s a nice win. Any time you come here and win, 2-1, you have to feel good about it.”

This was once again the type of game Manager Marcel Lachemann said the Angels need to win after Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the Twins.

The Angels fell short of their second-half averages of seven runs and 11 hits per game, but relied on the few scoring chances they got, sound defense and standout pitching.

Three double plays and Abbott’s leaping deflection and throw from his knees to retire Marty Cordova in the fourth inning were particularly important.

Abbott also helped himself by picking Rich Becker off first base in the fifth.

“He’s become a little more of an accomplished pitcher,” said Lachemann, who was the pitching coach when Abbott pitched for the Angels the first time. “He fields his position and does all the little things. He’s still an intense competitor and you add to that some experience [since he last pitched for the Angels] and he’s exactly what we hoped for.

“Maybe more.”