Defeat Rankles Scioscia

Mike Scioscia was livid Wednesday night, a rarity for a manager who does not make a habit of revealing his emotions or criticizing his team.

After watching the Angels drop a popup and a fly ball, leading to five unearned runs and boosting their league-leading error total to 15; after seeing his pitchers issue seven walks to fuel several rallies, and after seeing his team blow a five-run lead, Scioscia reached his tipping point.

And after pinch-hitter Michael Cuddyer smashed a two-out, two-run home run off reliever J.C. Romero in the 10th inning to lift Minnesota to a wild 12-10 victory over the Angels in the Metrodome, Scioscia reached his ripping point.

“We played a poor ballgame -- we did not deserve to win that game today,” Scioscia said. “We would have been lucky to win. We have to play better, that’s the bottom line. These guys know what it’s about. Too many mistakes.

“There were too many things happening on the mound that we’re struggling with and certainly some things in the field. We have to get better, no doubt about that. This was just a flat-out poor ballgame.”

The fact the Angels, who have lost five of seven, nearly out-hit their mistakes spoke volumes for an offense that has looked frisky of late, scoring 29 runs in four games.

But a complete team, this is not. A defense the Angels expected to be among the league’s best committed two more errors, and the Angels have given up 17 unearned runs after giving up 45 in all of 2005.

And a bullpen the Angels expected to be among baseball’s best suffered two more breakdowns, closer Francisco Rodriguez blowing the save in the ninth inning (ending his streak at 22 consecutive saves) and Romero, the former Twin reliever acquired over the winter, losing it in the 10th.

Romero got into trouble by walking Luis Castillo with one out. Castillo stole second, getting such a good jump that catcher Jeff Mathis didn’t bother throwing to second. Joe Mauer grounded out, but Cuddyer drove a hanging changeup over the wall in center for the game-winner.

Romero fielded dozens of questions Tuesday about his return to Minnesota, where his relationship with Manager Ron Gardenhire soured in 2005, and he was asked if Wednesday’s loss stung any more because it came against his ex-team.

“Fellas, I’m going to make a statement,” Romero said. “This is not about J.C. Romero or the Twins. Losing [stinks]; that’s the bottom line. It would have been the same if it was against the Yankees, Tampa Bay or any other team.”

Walks also doomed Rodriguez in the ninth. The Angels had a 10-9 lead, thanks to Casey Kotchman’s two-out RBI single in the seventh, an insurance run that enabled the Angels to absorb Torii Hunter’s leadoff homer in the seventh, and 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief from Scot Shields.

The Twins loaded the bases off Rodriguez with no outs when Mauer singled, Ruben Sierra walked on four pitches and Hunter singled to right.

Rodriguez nearly escaped when he got Justin Morneau to foul out and struck out Tony Batista, but No. 8 batter Lew Ford worked the count full before taking ball four on a Rodriguez slider in the dirt. That forced home Mauer for a 10-10 tie.

The Twins had scored four unearned runs in the second after Angel third baseman Maicer Izturis dropped Morneau’s foul pop about 30 feet down the left-field line for an error. Morneau then slapped an RBI single to left, and two walks by Angel starter Ervin Santana contributed to a bigger inning.

Orlando Cabrera’s two-run home run in the third pulled the Angels even, and they pulled away with four in the second, which included Adam Kennedy’s two-run single, and a run in the fifth on Darin Erstad’s double and Izturis’ RBI single for a 9-4 lead.

But the Twins stormed back with four in the sixth, the final run scoring when Vladimir Guerrero raced in from right on Mike Redmond’s flare but dropped the ball for an error.

“There are a lot of things on the defensive end that are making us turn our heads,” Scioscia said. “We need to make plays.”