Kole Calhoun leads Angels in 7-6 win over Twins in 10 innings
KEY MOMENT: With runners on first and third and two outs in the top of the ninth, Twins left fielderJordan Schafer made a leaping catch near the top of the wall to rob John McDonald of a two-run double and preserve a 6-4 deficit. That enabled the Twins to tie the score, 6-6, with a two-run rally off Angels closer Huston Street in the bottom of the ninth.
AT THE PLATE: In addition to his decisive two-run double in the eighth and single and run in the 10th, Kole Calhoun tripled off the right-field wall in the first and scored on an Albert Pujols grounder. Singles by David Freese, Brennan Boesch and Chris Iannetta netted a run in the second, and Trout hit an RBI bloop single in the fourth. Long Beach Wilson graduate Aaron Hicks had RBI singles that tied the score in the fourth and gave the Twins a 4-3 lead in the sixth.
ON THE MOUND: Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who went 6-1 with a 1.31 earned run average in August to win American League pitcher and rookie of the month honors, struggled through a four-inning, three-run, six-hit start in which he threw 90 pitches, 49 for strikes. His 23 2/3-inning scoreless streak was snapped in the first, and he gave up a solo homer to Oswaldo Arcia in the second. Angels relievers Yoslan Herrera and Wade LeBlanc escaped a first-and-third, no-outs jam in the seventh.
OUT OF SHUCK: Outfielder J.B. Shuck, designated for assignment Tuesday, was traded to Cleveland for cash considerations Friday. Shuck hit .293 with 128 hits as a rookie in 2013 but spent almost all of 2014 at triple-A. With Trout, Calhoun, Josh Hamilton and Collin Cowgill in Anaheim, there was no room for Shuck, 27, next season. “We didn’t want to hold him hostage for another year,†General Manager Jerry Dipoto said. “What happened to him this year could very well happen next year. We gave him an opportunity to get out there a little earlier.â€
REHAB REPORT: Left-hander Joe Thatcher, out since Aug. 3 because of a left-ankle sprain, threw a 20-pitchers in simulated-game conditions on Thursday and completed a series of fielding drills on Friday. He will pitch in a minor league game on Sunday and should be activated by the end of next week. … Hamilton sat out Friday night’s game after taking a cortisone injection in the back of his right shoulder Thursday night. Manager Mike Scioscia said Hamilton felt “a lot better†Friday, but he probably won’t return until Sunday at the earliest.
UP NEXT: Right-hander Cory Rasmus (3-1, 2.48 ERA) will oppose Minnesota right-hander Phil Hughes(15-9, 3.54 ERA) at Target Field on Saturday at 4 p.m. PDT. On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 830 AM.
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