Twins 5, Angels 4
MINNEAPOLIS -- Byung Ho Park's RBI double in the eighth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday at Target Field for their first win of the season.
The Twins (1-9) were the final team in the majors to record their first victory after Atlanta defeated Miami earlier Friday.
The Angels saw their four-game winning streak snapped and lost for only the second time in their last nine games at Target Field.
The five runs were a season high and marked the first time Minnesota scored more than three runs in a game.
Right-hander Casey Fien (1-0) threw only three pitches to strand the bases loaded in the eighth. Fill-in closer Kevin Jepsen pitched the ninth to earn the save.
Trevor Plouffe led off the decisive eighth inning with a single. Two batters later, Park jerked a double into the left-field corner and Plouffe raced around to score.
Angels right-hander Fernando Salas (0-1) allowed one run on two hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Los Angeles took the lead in the sixth after getting a leadoff single by Carlos Perez, who advanced to second when center fielder Eddie Rosario loafed to the ball then bobbled it. Johnny Giavotella sacrificed Perez to third ahead of an RBI double by Yunel Escobar to the gap in right center for a 1-0 lead.
Twins starter Tommy Milone worked out of the jam, getting a pop out to second base before a ground out to short by Mike Trout.
Minnesota came back in the bottom of the frame to grab their first lead in nearly a week.
Eduardo Nunez was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a ground out by Joe Mauer. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Miguel Sano and Plouffe gave the Twins a 2-1 lead. Sano's double into the left-field corner snapped an 0-for-19 skid with runners in scoring position for the Twins.
The lead was brief, though, as five pitches into the seventh, Albert Pujols' first homer of the season tied the game. After a walk to C.J. Cron, Kole Calhoun's two-run homer ended Milone's night. The left-hander allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts in six-plus innings of work.
Rosario drew a one-out walk in the bottom half and scored on Nunez's two-out double to left. Mauer followed with a single to left, scoring Nunez to tie the game at 4-4.
Los Angeles starter Garrett Richards allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings.
Both starting pitchers cruised through four innings before Milone ran into a bit of trouble in the fifth, allowing a leadoff single to Pujols and a one-out single to Calhoun to put runners on first and second. Milone fell behind Andrelton Simmons in the count but got him to bounce into a 6-3 double play to end the inning.
Richards walked Park to start the bottom half and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. But a strikeout by Rosario and a groundout to short by Kurt Suzuki erased the threat.
NOTES: Twins OF Byron Buxton was not in the lineup one day after being hit in the left hand with a pitch. X-rays were negative on Buxton's hand but he said it is painful to swing a bat. He hopes to be available for pinch running and defensive duties this weekend. ... Twins 2B Brian Dozier was given the night off after a rough start to the season. Dozier is hitting .152 through the first nine games. He was replaced at second and at the top of the batting order by Eduardo Nunez. ... The Angels and Twins will play game two of a three-game series at Target Field on Saturday afternoon. Los Angeles will send right-hander Jered Weaver (1-0, 1.50) to the hill; righty Ricky Nolasco (0-0, 1.29 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for Minnesota.