Twins get going right away in 5-1 victory over Angels

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Apr 26, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins totaled 16 baserunners across the first four innings Saturday, a positive sign for an offense that has been quieted for much of the season.

Rarely do the Twins make it that simple for themselves.

The Twins didn’t fully capitalize on their flurry of hits and walks in a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Target Field, leaving the bases loaded in each of the first three innings. Simeon Woods Richardson, however, didn’t need much more support as he struck out a season-high seven batters across 5 1/3 innings.

Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi, who landed a three-year, $63 million contract last winter, recorded only six outs before he was knocked from the game in the third inning. The Twins tagged him for nine hits, but they allowed the Angels to stick around with their inability to clear the bases in front of an announced crowd of 23,905.

In the third inning, the Twins loaded the bases with no outs after a single, an error and a walk. Reliever Ryan Johnson, who replaced Kikuchi, escaped the jam by striking out Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa before inducing a ground ball to end the inning.

The Twins, who had zero extra-base hits through the first five innings, greeted Kikuchi with four consecutive singles to open the bottom of the first inning. Buxton laced a line drive single to center on an elevated change-up that was closer to the other batter’s box than the plate, showing Kikuchi didn’t even need to be around the strike zone to give up hits.

Correa and Ty France produced back-to-back RBI hits before Kikuchi recorded his first out, then Jonah Bride lined an RBI single to left field in a 32-pitch first inning. The Twins left the bases loaded when Christian Vázquez lined out to center.

Entering Saturday, the Twins ranked last in the majors with a .157 batting average against lefty pitchers. Kikuchi surrendered six singles in the first inning.

Buxton manufactured a run in the second inning. He beat out a potential double-play grounder, swiped second and scored easily when Correa drilled an RBI single into left field. After the Twins loaded the bases, again, Brooks Lee hit a dribbler back to the mound that Kikuchi briefly fumbled before the inning-ending out.

Two more runners were stranded in the fourth inning, when Vázquez struck out on an elevated sinker, the ball caroming off the backstop after Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe missed it, and bouncing all the way back to the mound for the unique strikeout/pitcher to first base putout.

It took until the fifth inning before the Twins added another run. France hit a leadoff double off lefty reliever Reid Detmers, giving the Twins their first extra-base hit, and Lee hit a two-out double to right field that flew past diving right fielder Mike Trout.

Woods Richardson matched his highest strikeout total in his past 29 outings. When Jo Adell whiffed on a fastball for the final out of the second inning, Vázquez threw the ball back to Woods Richardson, who started walking back to the mound.

It took Woods Richardson a couple of seconds to realize the inning was over, Vázquez tapped his chest to take blame, but maybe it was a sign of how well he was feeling.

Woods Richardson allowed a solo homer to Zach Neto in the third inning, a slider that was pulled over the left-field wall, but then he retired his next eight batters.