Royce Lewis hit two home runs and drove in four runs as the Minnesota Twins took advantage of four Los Angeles Angels errors in a 12-3 win Monday night at Angel Stadium. The victory continued Minnesota’s dominance of the season series, improving to 4-0 against Los Angeles while outscoring them 33-7 in those games.
Lewis, an Orange County native, provided the biggest offensive highlights for Minnesota. His first home run came in the second inning, a drive to center that tipped off the glove of Angels outfielder Bryce Teodosio before clearing the wall. He followed with another long ball in the fifth inning, a two-run shot that put the Twins ahead 5-3, giving them a lead they never surrendered. It was the third multi-homer game of his career and his second this season.
James Outman also homered for the Twins, while Luke Keaschall contributed an RBI single, Matt Wallner added a two-run double, and Austin Martin doubled and scored three runs. The Twins collected 13 hits overall and benefited from the Angels’ defensive mistakes, including two errors by third baseman Yoán Moncada. Despite the high run total, Minnesota went just 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson (6-4) pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with six strikeouts and five walks. Travis Adams provided effective relief, striking out four in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
For Los Angeles, right-hander Caden Dana (0-1) made his second big-league start and showed flashes of potential with a career-high nine strikeouts. However, he struggled with control, issuing five walks and giving up five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. Sebastián Rivero drove in a run with a double, marking his first RBI in nearly three years since his last major league appearance.
The Angels’ defense compounded their problems, leading to extended innings and additional scoring chances for Minnesota. Moncada’s two errors were particularly costly, and the club’s four total miscues matched a season high.
Lewis, who starred in high school just miles from Angel Stadium, said before the series that he was excited to play in front of family and friends. He delivered in a big way, continuing a season highlighting his power potential. His two-homer game comes after he achieved the same feat in Colorado on July 20 and during the 2023 American League Wild Card series against Toronto.
With the victory, the Twins (72-69) stayed within striking distance of the final American League Wild Card spot, while the Angels (61-80) continued to slide, having lost seven of their past 10 games.
The series resumes Tuesday night with Minnesota sending right-hander Zebby Matthews (4-4, 4.73 ERA) to the mound against Angels veteran Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 4.81 ERA). Oddsmakers opened with the Twins as slight -120 favorites on the road, while the Angels entered at +105 underdogs, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs.
