Alan Roden picked a good time to announce himself, and Dean Kremer kept the Angels buried from the first pitch on.
Roden blasted a three-run homer and finished with a career-high four RBIs, while Kremer spun six dominant innings and allowed just one hit as the Minnesota Twins rolled to an 8-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.
The Twins didn’t just win the game. They wrapped up a series at Angel Stadium with two shutouts and won three of five overall. Later in the night, their playoff fate was sealed when the White Sox beat the Tigers 8-1, officially eliminating Minnesota from contention.
Roden did his damage in his first major league game this month, collecting three hits and capping the night with a drive to right in the seventh for his third career homer and first since Aug. 6, 2025.
Josh Bell also came through with three hits and two RBIs, while Brooks Lee added three hits and scored three times. Bell and Roden each singled in runs with two outs in the third, then Bell added another two-out RBI single in the fifth to chase Ryan Johnson.
Johnson, who fell to 5-9, struck out six but was tagged for three runs on seven hits and couldn’t escape the fifth inning for the AL-worst Angels. The loss closed out the Angels’ home schedule in their 11th straight losing season and 12th straight non-playoff campaign, both the longest active streaks in the majors.
It also was likely the club’s final game at Angel Stadium during Arte Moreno’s 24-year ownership run. Moreno plans to sell the team to Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke before next season starts.
Kremer, now 3-1, delivered the latest strong outing in what has become a trend since Minnesota acquired him at the deadline. He walked three and struck out eight, his highest strikeout total in a start since April. Minnesota’s pitchers limited the Angels to just two singles, and Bailey Ober handled the last three innings for his first career save.
The Twins added to the cushion in the sixth on a scoring sequence that started with Emmanuel Rodriguez being awarded a double after Jose Siri dropped a catchable fly ball at the warning track in center. Rodriguez then beat Siri’s throw home on Ben Ross’s single, and Ross moved up on a stolen base before scoring when Zach Neto let the throw leak into center.
In Other News...
Kody Clemens Just Gave The Twins A Long Term Roster Dilemma
Kody Clemens has turned what looked like a depth move in April 2025 into one of the more useful pieces on the Twins roster. In the 2026 season, he has given them impact at the plate and flexibility all over the field, filling in at first base, second base and each of the three outfield spots while supplying real power with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs.
For Minnesota, that kind of production creates an easy short-term answer and a tougher long-term conversation. Clemens versatility makes him valuable in the lineup and on the grass, but it also means the Twins have to think carefully about how to keep his bat in the mix while building out the rest of the roster around him. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Let Another Winnable Game Slip Away Late
The Twins had a game in hand early, then watched the Angels claw back to turn it into another tight night at the ballpark. Joe Ryan and Reid Detmers set up a classic pitching matchup, and Minnesota got the first punch before Los Angeles answered and pushed the game into extra innings. It was the kind of contest that felt there for the taking, with both clubs trading momentum and leaving little margin for error.
Ryan Kreidler and Jose Siri supplied the power moments, while Taylor Rogers did his part out of the bullpen to keep the game alive beyond the 10th. Even with that kind of late resistance, the Twins were left navigating the same frustrating question that follows these one-run struggles: how many winnable games can a team afford to let drift away before it starts costing more than just a night in the standings? [Read more 🡒]
Twins System May Have Found A Young Arm Worth Watching
The Twins Dominican Summer League club gave the organization a few reasons to keep looking closely at the mound, and Fernando Hernandez emerged as the arm that stood out most over the summer. Named the Pitcher of the Year for the DSL Twins, he drew attention for his command and ability to miss bats even in a limited workload, the kind of early return player development staffs love to see when theyre sorting through a rookie-level staff.
Hernandez was not the only young pitcher who made the list worth reading. Yolcar Garcia and Adrian Martinez both showed growth and flashes of potential, even if the run prevention numbers were less flattering, and that mix of promise and inconsistency is exactly what makes these reports meaningful at this stage. For a system always hunting for the next impact arm, the question now is which of these teenagers can turn summer intrigue into something more durable as the reps get tougher. [Read more 🡒]