Angels Battle Back, Defeat Minnesota, 9-6

Tony Phillips hardly sounded like a guy whose two-run home run helped the Angels erase a six-run deficit and defeat the Minnesota Twins, 9-6, Tuesday night before 8,937 in the Metrodome.

All Phillips seemed to remember about the game was that he grounded out with a runner on second in the third inning, popped out with runners on first and second in the fourth, lined to center with a runner on second in the eighth and flew to center with the bases loaded in the ninth.

As for his two-run homer to left that gave the Angels a 7-6 lead in the sixth, did it even happen?

“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while,” Phillips said. “I wish I could hit the ball hard more often. I’m real inconsistent. I have one good at-bat and two bad ones. I’m leaving too many runners out there.”

The Angels, who had fought back from a 7-2 deficit before losing, 9-6, on Monday night, allowed the Twins to score the first six runs Tuesday night before collecting nine of their own.

It marked the sixth time in 11 victories this season that the Angels have come from behind.

“We showed heart Monday night and we showed it again tonight,” Phillips said. “I have a lot of confidence in this team, and [the comebacks] are good signs. Other teams know they have to play us for nine innings every game.”

Shortstop Gary DiSarcina, who was 0 for 8 since having a 10-game hitting streak snapped Sunday and didn’t have an extra-base hit in the previous six games, capped a four-run fourth with a two-run single and tripled before Phillips’ homer in the sixth.

Second baseman Damion Easley, who was 1 for 16 on this trip, had three hits, including a bases-empty homer to left after Phillips’ shot to make it 8-6.

Chili Davis also homered in the fifth inning, and the bullpen trio of Ken Edenfield, Troy Percival and Lee Smith, who notched his seventh save, combined to shut out the Twins in the final four innings.

“You shouldn’t get too down when you fall behind, 6-0, here, because in a park like this you see a lot of these games,” Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “There aren’t many 2-1 games here, even when guys like Mark Langston, Chuck Finley or Frank Viola pitching.”

Another reason not to get down: There are no Violas on this Twin pitching staff. Minnesota has baseball’s worst earned-run average (6.54) and has given up 34 home runs, far more than any other major league team.

The Twins used the long ball to help build their lead, as Marty Cordova keyed a four-run third with a three-run homer to center field.

But the Angels cut into the 6-0 deficit with four runs during a fourth-inning rally that was kept alive by Perez’s hard slide into second base. Easley singled, Snow hit into a fielder’s choice, Davis walked and Salmon singled to load the bases.

Perez’s single to left scored the first run, and Jim Edmonds hit a potential double play ball to short. But Perez barreled into second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, disrupting him just enough to slow his relay to first.

Edmonds beat the throw by half a step and, after Andy Allanson walked, DiSarcina lined a two-run single to center to make it 6-4.

After Davis made it 6-5 with his homer to right-center in the fifth, the Angels went ahead with their three-run sixth and their bullpen kept them on top.

Starter Mike Bielecki, who gained the victory despite allowing six runs, three earned, was pulled after five innings.

Edenfield, who was called up from triple-A Vancouver May 9 when Brian Anderson went on the disabled list, and Percival, who gave up a game-winning home run to Kansas City’s Gary Gaetti in his last outing, combined to one-hit the Twins through the eighth before giving way to Smith.

Edenfield allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings and Percival struck out three and did not allow a hit in his 1 1/3 innings.