Kyle Farmer provided a well-timed spark to a struggling lineup with a three-run homer in the second inning, and Matt Wallner and Carlos Santana also homered as the Minnesota Twins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 10-5 victory on Tuesday night.
Pablo Lopez (15-8) pitched well, striking out 10 and allowing no earned runs in seven innings, to earn his fourth straight win and cut the lead to 6-4 on a three-run homer by Zach Neto in the fifth inning.
“It’s no secret what the atmosphere has been like lately,” Lopez said. “We’re not used to that. We’re used to playing easy. We’re used to having fun. It was really cool and special to see that.”
The Twins (77-68), who had lost 15 of their previous 21 games, were three games back with 17 games remaining in the race for the final three American League wild-card spots in a postseason that has been toughened by their recent slump. Detroit (74-71), Minnesota’s closest rival, is six games behind Cleveland in the AL Central Division.
“Certainly, our margin of error continues to shrink, but we just have that mindset that winners focus on winning and losers focus on winners,” said Lopez, who has trimmed his ERA to 3.88, his lowest since April 11.
Wallner hit a solo homer in the third inning and a two-run double with two outs in the sixth to defeat the Angels’ (5-13) starter for a career-best 10 runs, nine hits and three walks, one of which was unearned on a grounder that slid between the first baseman’s legs.
Twins pitcher Trevor Larnach reached base in all four of his plate appearances and scored three runs on a single and three walks. Ryan Jeffers also had two RBIs and Santana hit a two-run homer for his team-high 21st homer. Canning fell to 0-10 in 13 road starts.
“We were facing one of the best pitchers in the league and we needed to get him to five innings and we just didn’t do it,” Angels manager Ron Washington said.
The Twins have allowed just four runs in their four-game losing streak and just 13 runs with 72 strikeouts in their past seven games, helping the Angels (60-85) lose 21 of their past 30 games.
“If you can’t keep them in the ballpark, they’re going to beat the hell out of you,” Washington said.
Lopez has been Minnesota’s most valuable player since the All-Star break, stabilizing an injury-riddled rotation that now features three rookies. They should have made it through the fifth inning unscathed, but then second baseman Eduardo Julián made a two-out error after bobbing the ball and straying on the throw, then Taylor Ward hit a one-run single and Neto belted a three-run homer for his 21st of the season.
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was placed on the disabled list for the third time this season with an oblique injury, and the team’s closer, right-hander Ben Joyce, was also placed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation.
