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2-Run Homers Lift Angels Over Twins 9-6

Posted on: Saturday, 28 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Adam Kennedy and Garret Anderson each hit a two-run homer, and the Anaheim Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 9-6 Friday night for their ninth straight victory.

Aaron Sele (8-1) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, improving to 17-4 in his career against the Twins while helping the Angels match their longest winning streak of the season. Anaheim has won 17 of 21 overall to move a season-best 20 games over .500.

Brad Radke (9-7) pitched 5 2-3 innings, allowing nine runs and 15 hits - both season highs. The right-hander, who won his previous four decisions, entered 12-5 lifetime against the Angels with a 1.65 ERA, his lowest against any AL opponent.

Minnesota's lead in the AL Central was reduced to seven games over Cleveland. A bigger blow to the Twins was losing third baseman Corey Koskie, who injured his left ankle while making a tag play in the fourth inning and was taken to the hospital for X-rays.

Kennedy, who hit three homers against Minnesota in the clinching game of the 2002 AL championship series to earn MVP honors, had not homered in 141 regular-season at-bats against the Twins before connecting in the fourth to give Anaheim a 4-2 lead.

He entered the game with a .193 regular-season average against Minnesota pitching - and was just 5-for-57 against the Twins since the playoff series that sent the Angels to their first World Series.

The Twins struggled on defense during Anaheim's five-run sixth. Shannon Stewart, who opened the game with his ninth home run, gave back the run when he lost track of the outs. Kennedy tagged up at second on David Eckstein's one-out fly to the left-field warning track, and Stewart started jogging in with his head down as Kennedy alertly scampered home for an unorthodox sacrifice fly.

Darin Erstad followed with an RBI double and scored on Vladimir Guerrero's broken-bat single before Anderson chased Radke with his 10th home run, giving the Angels a 9-2 lead.

Pinch-hitter Matthew LeCroy and Jacque Jones homered for the Twins in the seventh against Brendan Donnelly.

After Torii Hunter hit a two-run single in the ninth, Troy Percival struck out rookie Justin Morneau with two on for his 26th save in 31 chances. Percival, who entered with the bases loaded, extended his scoreless streak against Minnesota to 40 innings spanning 39 career appearances.

The Angels, averaging 8.6 runs during their winning streak, tied it at 2 in the second inning with two-out RBI singles by Chone Figgins and Eckstein after bunt singles by Jeff DaVanon and Kennedy. But DaVanon, who hit for the cycle in Wednesday night's 21-6 victory over Kansas City, sprained his right ankle dodging Figgins' line drive to left and was replaced as the DH by Curtis Pride.

The Twins loaded the bases in the third with a one-out single by Hunter and a pair of walks, but Sele escaped unscathed when Koskie lined out to second and Morneau was trapped off the bag for a double play.

Koskie was injured tagging out Pride at third base on a grounder to shortstop by Bengie Molina. Koskie was 0-for-2, ending his career-best hitting streak at 15 games. Kennedy's homer came two pitches later.

Notes:@ Twins RHP Joe Mays, who gave up two of the three home runs Kennedy hit in the ALCS clincher, has been shut down for the rest of the season after experiencing soreness in his elbow during a simulated game earlier this week. Mays hasn't pitched for the Twins since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his elbow last September. ... The previous nine games between the teams were at the Metrodome, including three last season. ... Stewart has four leadoff homers this season and 20 in his career. ... Luis Rivas was 0-for-2 against Sele and is hitless in 14 career at-bats against him.

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