| Shane Cobb. 20th April, 2006 - 3:09 pm
 Game Recap #15. Angels 10, Twins 12
J.C. Romero came in the tenth inning and gave up a two-run, walk off homer to his former teammate, Michael Cuddyer. The Twins traded Romero to the Angels for infielder Alexi Castilla. Apparently Romero thought he’d do the Twins a favor by allowing them the chance to hit a fastball right down the middle. I’m sure Cuddyer and the Twins thanked J.C. after the game.
This game was definitely not a pitchers duel. The two teams combined for over twenty runs. Fans in the Minnesota stands got their money’s worth, and a little extra.
The game went down to the wire. Francisco Rodriguez, the Angels closer, came in to close out the game in the bottom of the 9th inning. Joe Mauer came in the game to pitch hit, and that’s exactly what he did. K-Rod gave up a single to Mauer and walked the next batter Ruben Sierra.
The following batter, Torii Hunter, singled to right field. The bases were now loaded. Under clutch conditions, K-Rod got Justin Morneau to foul out to third. With one out, bases loaded, Frankie struck out Tony Batista. Two outs. Rodriguez dropped 2-0 on the next hitter Lew Ford and would eventually walk him tying the game at ten runs apiece.
Twins closer Joe Nathan pitched a shutout 10th inning, giving his team a chance for a walk off. Angel’s pitcher J.C. Romero was brought in for the bottom of the 10th inning. Everything was looking good. He struck out Shannon Stewart looking. But then, it was bad news. Romero walked Luis Castillo, who would promptly steal second base.
Romero then got Mauer to ground out making two outs in the inning. Michael Cuddyer pinch-hit for Nick Punto. Cuddyer took the ex-Twin’s fastball right over the right-center field fence for a game winning two-run bomb.
Angel’s offense gave the pitching a chance. They scored a season high 10 runs, but turned out to be not enough.
The Angels drop one game under .500 (7-8). On Thursday they will play the Twins for the series finale.
Bad News: Bartolo Colon was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right shoulder. Hector Carrasco will replace Colon, who was scheduled to pitch in Thursday’s game.
Player of the game: Adam Kennedy – Kennedy went 4 for 5, with 2 RBI, and 2 R. This game raised his batting average to .370, which is remarkable for a nine-hole hitter.
Disappointment – Garrett Anderson – GA went 0 for 5 as the Angels DH. This poor outing drops his average to a lousy .259.
Next game: April 20th, Thursday vs. Minnesota Twins
On the mound: Hector Carrasco (0-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. Scott Baker (1-1, 3.18 ERA)
Angels record: 7-8
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