Mickey Moniak’s 3 hits, defense help Angels rally to beat Twins
Moniak falls a home run short of the cycle and makes a game-saving catch in center field on a night when the Angels squander a three-run lead before rallying to win, 5-4. Reid Detmers takes a no-hitter into the sixth and strikes out 12.
Angels center fielder Mickey Moniak catches a ball in front of the wall to rob the Minnesota Twins’ Michael A. Taylor of a home run in the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. Moniak also had three hits as the Angels rallied for a 5-4 win. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)/
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is shown in western garb during his as-bat as the Angels celebrate their Country Weekend promotion during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels star Shohei Ohtani prepares to hit during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Angels star Shohei Ohtani avoids an inside pitch from Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani stands in the dugout during the first inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Taylor Ward hits a sacrifice fly during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Zach Neto, right, scores on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Ward as Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan stands by during the third inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, left, congratulates Zach Neto after he scored during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Taylor Ward is congratulated in the dugout after driving in a run with a sacrifice fly during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani hits a foul ball during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani yells after hitting a foul ball toward the Minnesota Twins dugout during the third inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the third inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe scores a run as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers takes a late throw during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe scores a run as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers takes a late throw during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe, left, scores on a double by Brandon Drury as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers applies a late tag during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe, left, scores on a double by Brandon Drury as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers applies a late tag and pitcher Joe Ryan reacts during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Luis Rengifo, left, steals second base as Minnesota Twins second baseman Willi Castro falls after missing the throw from home during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The Angels’ Brandon Drury scored on the play and Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was charged with a throwing error on the play. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Luis Rengifo, left, steals second base as Minnesota Twins second baseman Willi Castro falls after missing the throw from home during the fourth inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The Angels’ Brandon Drury scored on the play and Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was charged with a throwing error on the play. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Angels relief pitcher Tucker Davidson throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro celebrates at home plate after hitting a home run as Angels catcher Chad Wallach looks on during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro handles a fishing pole in the dugout as sunflower seeds fly through the air after he hit a solo home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro puts on a fishing vest after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Twins’ Willi Castro handles a fishing pole in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels center fielder Mickey Moniak catches a ball in front of the wall to rob the Minnesota Twins’ Michael A. Taylor of a home run in the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. Moniak also had three hits as the Angels rallied for a 5-4 win. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Taylor Ward, right, scores on a single by Hunter Renfroe as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers waits for the ball during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani looks toward the scoreboard after drawing a walk during the seventh inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani acknowledges members of the Minnesota Twins in the dugout after drawing a walk during the seventh inning on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez throws to the plate during the ninth inning of their game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez celebrates after the final out of their 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez gestures after the final out of their 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Angels star Shohei Ohtani, left, congratulates relief pitcher Carlos Estevez after their 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
ANAHEIM — On the opening night of what is being billed as “Country Weekend,” the Angels’ Hunter Renfroe might as well have been swinging an acoustic guitar.
Renfroe’s softly hit dunker into shallow left field in the seventh inning on Friday ended up being sweet music, driving in the go-ahead run in a 5-4 victory the Angels first looked to have in hand before being forced to rally late.
Just when the Angels seemed ready to craft a tale of loss, they picked up the tempo late against the Minnesota Twins to win the opener of a three-game series and nine-game homestand.
Mickey Moniak had three hits, falling a home run shy of the cycle, and Reid Detmers took a no-hitter into the sixth inning as the Angels came out on top without Mike Trout, who was given a day of rest following a 2-4 road trip to Cleveland and Baltimore.
“We’ve had a few of those,” Manager Phil Nevin said of the tight game. “I feel like we play the same game every night. You guys are probably tired of writing the same story. It’s probably not good on the heart for the manager but (it’s) resilience. We take really good at-bats against the toughest guys.”
Detmers brought back memories of last May against the Tampa Bay Rays when he fired a no-hitter in his 11th career start. Detmers matched a career high with 12 strikeouts, including the first two batters of the sixth inning, but never made it out of the frame.
He was chased from the game as the Twins scored three times to tie it. When Minnesota took a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning on a Willi Castro home run, it looked to be another night of woe for the Angels, who led for the 38th time in 46 games but were still about to fall to .500.
That all changed in the bottom of the seventh inning when the Angels stood up for themselves.
The momentum shift actually started in the top of the seventh, two batters after Castro’s home run, when center fielder Moniak robbed Minnesota’s Michael A. Taylor of another homer by reaching over the wall for an out.
In the bottom of the seventh, rookie Zach Neto singled with one out against Griffin Jax (2-6) and scored on a Moniak triple into the right field corner. Moniak was thrown out at home on a Taylor Ward grounder, but after Shohei Othan walked to put two aboard, Renfroe hit just the right note with his soft single to left that brought home Ward from second base.
“It feels incredible and I think that is the ultimate goal, to just be here and help the team win,” said Moniak, who was playing in his sixth game since being recalled for the first time this season. “I feel like I have been able to do that the last week being up here and just focusing on one step at a time.”
Angels right-hander Carlos Estevez struck out two in the ninth inning, including Joey Gallo to end it and earn his 11th save. Zack Weiss (1-0) recorded one out in the seventh inning to earn the win.
Detmers gave up three runs on two hits with two walks in 5-2/3 innings and 105 pitches, while his 12 strikeouts matched his total from a July 31 outing against the Texas Rangers last season.
“My stuff tonight felt really good and it felt like I had all four pitches going,” Detmers said. “… It was kind of my mindset, just attack, attack, attack. I was just going to go as long as I could. I knew the pitch count was getting up but other than that I felt really good.”
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Neto singled, went to second on a double from Moniak and scored on a fly ball to center field from Ward.
The lead grew to 3-0 in the fourth inning as Brandon Drury drilled an RBI double off the left field wall, went to third on a Gio Urshella line out then scored when Luis Rengifo stole second base and twins catcher Ryan Jeffers threw the ball into center field.
Even as his pitch count soared, Detmers was in control until he opened the sixth with a pair of strikeouts. Carlos Correa walked before Byron Buxton ended the no-hitter on a single to left field. Kyle Farmer followed with an RBI single to chase Detmers.
“Obviously your stuff has to be good that day but it’s also an approach, setting up guys the way you want to,” Detmers said of his double-digit strikeout game. “You just have to get ahead.”
Minnesota pinch hitter Alex Kirilloff greeted Angels right-hander Jimmy Herget with a two-run double to right field to tie the score at 3-3.
