Wallner Homers, Lee Snaps Slump as Twins Defeat Angeles 6-4

Matt Wallner blasted a home run for the second consecutive game, while Brooks Lee broke out of a 0-for-19 slump with a key two-run double, helping the Minnesota Twins secure a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

In the seventh inning, Royce Lewis nearly hit his sixth career grand slam, but after a review, it was ruled that his drive hit the top of the wall, resulting in a two-run double instead.

Wallner’s 13th home run of the season, a shot to left-center, tied the game after the Angels’ Taylor Ward opened the scoring with his 23rd homer. Willi Castro also contributed with an RBI single, snapping his 0-for-16 slump as part of a three-run fourth inning for Minnesota.

“I think we feel good,” Wallner said. “Guys are getting hits, and continuously driving in runs with men in scoring position—it’s huge for us.”

The Twins have now won two in a row after losing six of their previous seven games. They remain six games behind Cleveland and 1 1/2 games behind Kansas City in the AL Central, while holding a three-game lead over Detroit for the final AL wild-card spot.

“We had some great swings,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “You could feel the offense brewing. The guys had good energy and put together strong at-bats. They were locked in.”

For the Angels, Nolan Schanuel hit his 13th home run as part of a three-hit performance, and Jordyn Adams launched his first career homer. The Angels have now lost four of their last five games.

“It felt good,” Adams said of his homer. “I was just trying to make solid contact after fouling off pitches in my earlier at-bats.”

Angels rookie starter Jack Kochanowicz (2-5) allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings. Despite five straight quality starts leading into the game, he struggled with his breaking ball, noting, “They were all over my sinker. I need to be better with my breaking stuff, but once I mixed in the four-seamer, I found more success.”

The Twins continue to build momentum as they chase postseason contention, while the Angels face further struggles in their season.