Detmers works 6 strong innings, Drury and Kavadas hit HRs as Angels beat the struggling Twins 6-2

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Reid Detmers delivered a strong performance, pitching six innings and earning his first win since April as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Monday night. Detmers, who had been pitching for Triple-A Salt Lake for three months, showed significant improvement, giving up just five hits and striking out eight, including the final three batters he faced. This game marked his second consecutive quality start, following a no-decision against the Dodgers last Tuesday.

Brandon Drury and Niko Kavadas were instrumental in the Angels’ victory with their power hitting. Drury smacked his fourth home run of the season, a two-run blast in the third inning, while Kavadas contributed his third home run, another two-run shot, in the sixth inning.

For the Twins, who have now lost four straight games, Kyle Farmer hit a home run and Carlos Santana added an RBI single. However, Minnesota’s struggles continued as they struck out 12 times and have only scored 13 runs in their last seven games. Despite these challenges, the Twins remain in third place in the American League wild-card standings, three games ahead of Detroit and Seattle.

David Festa, who took the loss, was responsible for a two-run single by Nolan Schanuel in the first inning and a 459-foot home run by Drury in the third. Festa was removed after four innings.

In relief, José Suarez, recently recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake City, pitched three hitless innings to secure his first career save. The Angels’ bullpen has been dominant since June 17, leading the majors with a 2.62 ERA.

Looking ahead, the Angels will start right-hander Griffin Canning (5-12, 5.02 ERA) in the second game of the series on Tuesday, while the Twins are set to send right-hander Pablo López (14-8, 4.05 ERA) to the mound.

(Photo courtesy of Twins/MLB)