Royce Lewis Powers Twins Past Error-Prone Angels with Two Home Runs
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Royce Lewis had a night to remember in his Southern California homecoming, launching two home runs and driving in four runs as the Minnesota Twins rolled past the struggling Los Angeles Angels, 12-3, on Monday night.
The victory kept the Twins perfect against the Angels this season, improving to 4-0 while outscoring them 33-7 across those matchups.
Los Angeles faltered defensively with four costly errors, including two from third baseman Yoan Moncada, setting the tone for another rough outing. The mistakes helped fuel a relentless Minnesota offense that, despite going just 4 for 18 with runners in scoring position, capitalized when it counted.
Lewis got things started in the second inning with a deep shot to center field that just escaped Bryce Teodosio’s glove. He struck again in the fifth, belting his second homer of the game — a go-ahead solo blast that gave the Twins a 5-3 lead they never relinquished.
It marked the third multi-homer game of Lewis’ career, joining his two previous performances: one against Colorado on July 20 and another during the 2023 AL Wild Card series against Toronto.
Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson (6-4) gave a solid five-inning effort, allowing three runs while striking out six. Reliever Travis Adams added 1 2/3 innings of scoreless work with four punchouts. The Minnesota offense backed them up with contributions throughout the lineup: Luke Keaschall chipped in an RBI single, Matt Wallner knocked a two-run double, and Austin Martin doubled and scored three times.
Angels rookie starter Caden Dana (0-1) showed flashes of promise with a career-high nine strikeouts, but control issues and five walks contributed to five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. Sebastián Rivero provided a bright spot for Los Angeles with an RBI double in his return to the majors after nearly three years.
Up Next:
The series continues Tuesday night as Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews (4-4, 4.73 ERA) faces off against Angels veteran Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 4.81 ERA).
