Angels get in their own way in 7-2 loss

Reporting from Minneapolis — Looks as if it’s time for another team meeting.

The emotional lift the Angels got from Thursday’s players-only gathering in Fenway Park seemed like another in a litany of false starts after what transpired in Target Field on Friday night.

Dan Haren, hailed as an ace when he was acquired from Arizona on July 25, looked shaky against the Minnesota Twins, following a third-inning intentional walk to Joe Mauer with a hanging curve that Jason Kubel crushed for a three-run home run.

And left fielder Juan Rivera starred in another episode of “Lost,” getting a glove on but dropping Jim Thome’s fourth-inning triple and, two batters later, losing Danny Valencia’s fly ball in a cloudy twilight sky — wait, wasn’t that problem supposed to be solved with the move out of the Metrodome?

It all added up to an unsightly 7-2 loss that dropped the Angels eight games behind Texas in the American League West and wiped out the momentum they seemed to gain from Thursday night’s 7-2 win over the Red Sox.

“I was hoping [Thursday’s game] would carry over,” right fielder Torii Hunter said. “We had a travel day — no excuses — but it looked like guys were a little tired. Still, we need to play. Get some coffee, do what you have to do. We just didn’t look like ourselves.”

It started with Haren, who was kicking himself — and rightfully so — after throwing Kubel a 2-and-1 curve in the third.

“It was a stupid mistake by me,” Haren said. “We went over in pregame about not throwing him any breaking balls. The catcher [Mike Napoli] put curve down, and in the heat of the moment, it sounded like the right pitch. It wasn’t, and that broke my back.”

Kubel sent a 429-foot screamer into the upper deck in right field for his 18th homer and a 4-1 Twins lead.

Jim Thome opened the fourth with a towering drive to deep left-center, where Rivera and center fielder Peter Bourjos converged. Each backed off at the last second, and the ball nicked off Rivera’s glove for a triple.

“I was close,” Rivera said. “I called for the ball.”

Did he slow down when he heard Bourjos’ footsteps?

“Yeah,” Rivera said. “I didn’t want to hit him.”

Bourjos, who has played all of 14 big league games, took the blame.

“I heard him call it,” Bourjos said. “I tried to get out of the way at the last second. It’s a play he makes if I’m not in the way. That’s my fault. I have to take charge. Either call it early or get out of the way. That led to a big inning.”

After Delmon Young’s RBI single, Valencia lofted a routine fly to left, but Rivera lost it, and it fell behind him for a double. J.J. Hardy hit a sacrifice fly, and Orlando Hudson’s RBI single made it 7-1.

No one expects Rivera to win a Gold Glove, but he has been such a defensive liability the Angels took the drastic measure of calling up Bourjos and moving Hunter from center to right on Aug. 3.

“Juan’s track record is of being a really solid outfielder, running good routes and catching balls when he gets to them,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “There have been some plays this year that maybe he hasn’t made that he made last year.”

Twins left-hander Brian Duensing (7-1) gave up one run and seven hits in eight innings, while Haren, who was tagged for seven runs and 11 hits in seven innings, fell to 1-4 with a 4.55 earned-run average as an Angel.

“I’m embarrassed with the way I threw the ball,” Haren said. “It’s unacceptable. I feel bad for the guys. I’m supposed to be better than this. I am better than this. These games are so important. I put us in such a big hole early I didn’t give us a chance.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com