Twins beat Angels 2-1 on Span's RBI single in 12th

[August 22, 2008]  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Nick Punto tripled and scored on a single by rookie Denard Span in the 12th inning, helping the Minnesota Twins beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 on Thursday night and pull within a half-game of the AL Central lead.

The game ended on a sour note for former Twins Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter, who missed catching Punto's drive by inches on a leaping attempt in front of the 18-foot wall in right-center. One out later, Justin Speier (1-7) gave up Span's hit inside third base.

Jesse Crain (5-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, and Joe Nathan got the Angels 1-2-3 in the 12th for his 35th save in 38 chances.

The Angels have lost six of eight, but still lead Texas by 15 games in the AL West. The Twins are a half-game behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox.

Anaheim pitcher John Lackey's throwing error to first base on a bunt by Span in the eighth gave the Twins runners at second and third with none out, but the right-hander escaped the jam. Lackey struck out Alexei Casilla, then got Justin Morneau to hit into a double play after an intentional walk to AL batting leader Joe Mauer.

Lackey allowed a run and five hits in eight innings and struck out six in his 200th big league start. His 3.29 ERA since the start of the 2005 season is the third lowest in the AL behind Johan Santana (2.99) and Roy Halladay (3.07).

Hunter, who signed with the Angels in November after spending his first 10 seasons with the Twins, hit a drive in the fourth inning to left field that looked as though it would be a home run. But the ball fell into Delmon Young's glove on the warning track.

This was Hunter's first crack at his ex-teammates since the season-opening, four-game set at Minnesota, where the Angels took three of four and Hunter went 3-for-16 with a home run.

Mark Teixeira opened the scoring in the first against Scott Baker with his 25th home run and fifth since joining the Angels in a July 29 trade with Atlanta. The Twins tied it in the fifth on a two-out double by Punto and an RBI single by Carlos Gomez, who inherited the center field job from Hunter.

Mauer, who leads the league with a. 323 average, extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a first-inning single. Two seasons ago, Mauer became only the third catcher in history to win a league battle title.

Baker allowed a run and four hits in eight innings and struck out six. This was his fifth straight no-decision.

Notes: Garret Anderson was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, ending his 23-game hitting streak on the one-year anniversary of his 10-RBI game against the Yankees at Angel Stadium. ... The Twins began a 14-game road trip through Anaheim, Oakland, Seattle and Toronto. It's the club's longest since 1969, when they had stretches of 15 straight and 16 straight away from home. ... This was the first time in nine starts that Lackey didn't allow a home run. ... Angels DH Kendry Morales was 0-for-3 and is hitless in 17 career at-bats against Minnesota. ... Young's 11th-inning single snapped an 0-for-19 drought. ... Howie Kendrick's infield single in the 10th was the only hit by the Angels after Teixeira's leadoff single in the fourth.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.