Angels pitchers can’t stop Ryan Jeffers in series loss to Twins
Ryan Jeffers homered, tripled and drove in three runs to back a strong outing by Joe Ryan on Sunday as the Minnesota Twins pulled away late for a 9-3 win over the Angels.
After a 50-minute rain delay, Jeffers and Max Kepler each hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to help the Twins expand a one-run lead.
Jorge Polanco also went deep, Matt Wallner reached base four times and scored twice, and Trevor Larnach had two RBIs as Minnesota posted its first victory since clinching the AL Central title by beating the Angels on Friday night.
Angels manager Phil Nevin said that Mike Trout will go on the 60-day injured list after trying to come back from a fractured wrist in late August.
“I think just having our offense keep rolling is always fun. It’s nice to have a little bit longer between innings than the last couple,” said Ryan, whose teammates totaled four runs over his previous five starts while he was in the game.
Brandon Drury drove in two runs and Zach Neto had two hits and an RBI for the Angels, who have lost nine of 11.
Angels reliever Carson Fulmer (0-1), making his first major league appearance since 2021, allowed three runs over four innings to take the loss.
Ryan (11-10) tied Pablo López for the team lead in wins. He pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts — one shy of his career high. It was the sixth time Ryan fanned 10 batters this seasons. And he finished his start with a flourish, striking out the side in the sixth.
“I think we saw a little bit of everything with Joe today,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I think we saw some good stuff. Actually, at the end of the outing, he looked really good.”
For Shohei Ohtani fans of all stripes, it’s a strange time as the Angels wind down the regular season and their hero is shut down due to injury with free agency looming.
Drury’s two-run double put the Angels on top 2-1 in the third, but Polanco tied it in the bottom half with his 14th homer of the season.
Injury updates: Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson (left knee) was placed on the 15-day injured list, while C.J. Cron (lower back) went on the 10-day IL. Both moves were retroactive to Sept. 21. They were replaced on the big league roster by Fulmer and infielder Mike Moustakas.
Up next for the Angels: Patrick Sandoval (7-2, 4.19 ERA) takes the mound Monday night as the Angels open a three-game home series against the first-place Rangers.
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