Sat. Jul 6th, 2024
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Jo Adell homered, Kenny Rosenberg outpitched Sonny Gray and the Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 1-0 on Saturday, a day after Minnesota clinched the AL Central title.

Rosenberg (2-2), a 28-year-old left-hander making his fourth big league start and ninth appearance, allowed five hits and two walks in five innings with five strikeouts. Carlos Estévez, the Angels’ fourth reliever, hit Kyle Farmer with a pitch starting the ninth, then got three straight outs for his 31st save in 35 chances.

Gray (8-8) allowed a fourth-inning homer to Adell on a first-pitch sinker, just the eighth home run off Gray this season. He gave up four hits in six innings and struck out eight, lowering his ERA from 2.84 to 2.80, second in the AL to the New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole at 2.75.

Gray likely will make one more regular-season start. He has pitched 180 innings, his most since throwing 208 in 2015.

Starting in place of injured center fielder Mike Trout, Adell hit a 428-foot drive to center for his third homer this season. Adell also made a leaping catch in front of the wall to rob Michael A. Taylor in the sixth.

Los Angeles (70-85), assured of its eighth straight losing season. won for just the second time in nine games.

After their late-night celebration of a division title, several of the Twins regulars were out of the lineup.

Minnesota clinched the AL Central for the third time in five seasons under manager Rocco Baldelli and likely will the No. 3 seed for the postseason. There is a small chance the Twins could catch the AL West leader for the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, but Baldelli conceded before the game that scenario is unlikely.

Meanwhile, the Angels are on the outside of the postseason for the ninth straight season and playing out the season’s final games without injured stars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

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