Twins 5, Angels 3: Eleven Angels Left On Base

Box Score
SP: Joe Ryan - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (94 pitches, 61 strikes (64.9% strikes))
Home Runs: Royce Lewis (10)
Top 3 WPA (via Fangraphs): Royce Lewis (0.25), Joe Ryan (0.19), Victor Caratini (0.16)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

After dropping Friday night's opener to the Angels, the Twins needed a response before heading into the All-Star break. They got one.

Powered by another big afternoon from Royce Lewis and six steady innings from Joe Ryan, Minnesota knocked off Los Angeles 5-3 to even the series and set up a rubber match on Sunday.

The afternoon started with a celebration as longtime Twins television voice Dick Bremer was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame before first pitch.

Cheers to 40 years! Welcome to the Twins Hall of Fame, Dick Bremer! pic.twitter.com/qE5hihzwAv

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 11, 2026

Today's broadcast celebrates the career of Dick Bremer and his Twins Hall of Fame induction! pic.twitter.com/gxFMpwPrS9

— Twins.TV (@twinstv) July 11, 2026

Once the game got underway, Joe Ryan had to work around immediate trouble. The Angels put two runners aboard in the opening inning, but Ryan stranded both and never let the early traffic snowball.

The Twins wasted little time providing him with some run support.

Kody Clemens drew a four-pitch walk to open the second inning, bringing Royce Lewis to the plate. One pitch later, Lewis launched his 10th home run of the season, giving Minnesota an early 2-0 lead.

Luke Keaschall added another run later in the inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Victor Caratini, extending the lead to 3-0.

Luke Keaschall added another run later in the inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Victor Caratini, extending the lead to 3-0.

The Angels answered in the third when Jorge Soler ripped an RBI double to cut the deficit to one, but Ryan settled right back in.

Over his final three innings, Ryan allowed just two baserunners while continuing to attack the strike zone. It wasn't his most overpowering outing, but it was another example of why he's been one of the American League's most dependable starters this season.

The only blemish after Ryan departed came in the seventh.

Making his Twins debut after arriving from Toronto earlier this week, Tommy Nance surrendered a two-out RBI single to Nolan Schanuel after Zach Neto stole second, allowing the Angels to tie the game at three. Nance also recorded a pair of strikeouts in the inning.

The tie lasted only a few minutes.

Royce Lewis opened the bottom of the seventh with a double before Victor Caratini followed with another double into the gap, putting the Twins back in front 4-3.

Alan Roden kept the line moving with an RBI single one batter later, giving Minnesota an important insurance run.

That was all the bullpen needed.

Woo-Suk Go handled the eighth, and Yoendrys Gómez closed things out in the ninth for his 11th save of the season and 10th since joining the Twins.

One number that stood out when the afternoon ended: 11.

That's how many runners the Angels left on base. Ryan and the bullpen bent more than a few times, but they consistently made pitches when traffic mounted. That's often the difference between winning and losing games like this.

What's Next?

The Twins will try to secure the series win Sunday before the All-Star break.

Taj Bradley (8-3, 3.67 ERA) gets the ball for Minnesota against José Soriano (8-5, 3.40 ERA).

Bradley enters the finale throwing some of his best baseball of the season. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four consecutive starts and is coming off a dominant seven-inning, 10-strikeout performance against Cleveland.

After Sunday's finale, Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton will head to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game while the rest of the Twins get a much-needed breather before opening the second half with a road series against Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs.