Twins 3, Angels 0: Prielipp's Seven and a Bases-Loaded Escape

Two hits in seven, then Trout and Lowe swinging at air

September 18, 2026 - Anaheim - Connor Prielipp struck out the side in the first at Angel Stadium, Mike Trout looking at an 85.5 mph curveball, the MLB recap said. He left after seven innings with two hits on the board and a 3-0 lead. The Los Angeles Angels loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth. Tommy Nance struck out Trout swinging. He struck out pinch-hitter Josh Lowe swinging. Vaughn Grissom flied to left. The inning died.

The Minnesota Twins won 3-0. Thursday night Wade Meckler had walked this series off in the 10th. Friday the rookies took it back.

Clear. 75 degrees. Wind 8 mph out to center. First pitch 6:39 p.m. Attendance 35,237. The game lasted 2 hours, 19 minutes. Minnesota had nine hits. Los Angeles had four.

A hit-by-pitch record, two in the first, then Jenkins in the seventh

Luke Keaschall led off and was hit. The MLB recap said it was his 22nd hit-by-pitch of the season, the most by a Twin since the franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961. Manager Derek Shelton, per that recap: "In Keasch's case, that's the wrestler in him. He's not going to move. There's records that are made to be broken, and I love the fact that he holds a team record now."

Keaschall did not score. Brooks Lee did, on Ryan Jeffers' sacrifice fly to left. 1-0. Josh Bell singled Kody Clemens home. 2-0. That was the first inning, and it was all Prielipp needed.

Grayson Rodriguez (4-8) threw 6 2/3. Eight hits. Three runs. Zero walks. Four strikeouts. Ninety-one pitches, 66 strikes. He kept it at 2-0 into the seventh. Then Walker Jenkins homered to right, his third, the third in his first 52 at-bats, the ESPN recap said. 3-0. Jenkins finished 3-for-4. The Associated Press recap said it was his second homer in as many nights and his sixth consecutive hit in the series. Lee added two singles and the first-inning run. Minnesota left one man on all night.

Sammy Peralta retired four of five after Rodriguez. Luke Murphy threw a scoreless ninth. The Angels' pitching was fine. Their eighth-inning offense, with the bases full and nobody out, was not.

The story of the night is Connor

Prielipp (6-7) threw seven scoreless. Two hits. Two walks. Eight strikeouts. Ninety-two pitches, 60 strikes. The MLB recap called it the most polished start of his career and noted he debuted April 22. The ESPN recap said it was a season high in innings in his 21st start, and that he is 3-0 in four September starts. Jose Siri had two of the four Angel hits. Christian Moore had one. Meckler had one. Trout went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Shelton, per the MLB recap: "The story of the night is Connor. With our bullpen in the situation it was, it was really depleted." Nance still had to get through the eighth. He did. Travis Adams retired the side in the ninth for his third save.

That is a 3-0 built on a first-inning sacrifice fly, a two-out single, and a seventh-inning homer. It is also a 3-0 that survived the only inning that could have wrecked it. Bases loaded. Nobody out. Trout. Lowe. Grissom. Three pitches' worth of a series turning back, and none of them scored.

A series even, and a look at what Minnesota is building

Minnesota is 72-82. Los Angeles is 59-95. Neither club is playing for a seed. Friday was the other thing a September series can be: a look at the next group. Prielipp. Jenkins. Keaschall's record. Nance walking through fire he did not start.

Saturday is Joe Ryan against Reid Detmers. The four-game set is 1-1. Thursday belonged to Meckler. Friday belonged to the left-hander who froze Trout in the first and the center fielder who would not stop hitting.

AthX Engine after the baseball

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) put Prielipp at 29 pitching fantasy points, first among pitchers on a 15-game Friday. Jenkins had 6 hitting FP. Minnesota finished with 9 team FP. Los Angeles finished at minus-4.

Fantasy points measure the night under platform scoring rules. Share prices also move with traders through dynamic pricing. They are related. They are not the same number.

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*Sources: ESPN recap and box score, Associated Press recap via CBS Sports, MLB.com Gameday wrap, MLB.com schedule, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*