The Los Angeles Angels’ offense went quiet again, and the Minnesota Twins made them pay with a 3-0 shutout that never really felt in doubt after the opening inning.
Minnesota jumped in front 2-0 right away, using a string of small-ball plays to put Grayson Rodriguez on the ropes. Rodriguez started the game by hitting Luke Keaschall with a pitch, then Brooks Lee singled to put runners at the corners.
Kody Clemens grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Keaschall at the plate, but the rundown that followed left runners at second and third. Ryan Jeffers then brought home the first run with a sacrifice fly, and Josh Bell followed with a single that drove in the second.
That early damage was enough for the Twins, who added one more in the seventh when Walker Jenkins hit a solo homer to make it 3-0 and even the series at 1-1.
Rodriguez’s final line still looked decent on paper: 6-2/3 innings, eight hits, four strikeouts. But the bigger picture is the one that keeps following him around. His record is now 4-8 with a 5.96 ERA, and he continues to be one of the most difficult pitchers on the Angels staff to pin down.
Minnesota’s pitching did the rest against an Angels lineup that managed just four hits and struck out ten times. Connor Prielipp handled seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out eight and lowering his ERA to 4.94. Tommy Nance worked through a 23-pitch, two-hit eighth to earn a hold, and Travis Adams finished it off with a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
Jose Siri was the only real offensive spark for Los Angeles, collecting two hits. Wade Meckler and Christian Moore each added a single. Mike Trout struck out twice, and he was far from alone in that department.
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