MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Vaughn Grissom went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Friday night to snap a five-game skid at Target Field.
Grayson Rodriguez (3-2) gave up three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings while Kirby Yates pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save this season.
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Los Angeles Angels third baseman Vaughn Grissom throws to first base to get out Minnesota Twins' Kody Clemens during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Samy Natera Jr. celebrates during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins' Trevor Larnach celebrates after hitting a double against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Los Angeles Angels catcher Tyler Heineman scores on a sacrifice fly hit by Vaughn Grissom as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers attempts to field the ball during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Wade Meckler and Tyler Heineman also had two hits apiece for the Angels.
Brooks Lee and Josh Bell each went 2 for 4 with a double for the Twins.
The Angels, who have lost eight of their last 10 games, have the worst record in the major leagues.
Grissom hit the first pitch of the fourth inning over the wall in left field. Jorge Soler followed with a double and later scored on a balk by Twins starter Zebby Matthews (4-6) that gave LA a 2-1 lead.
Matthews allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings.
Meckler scored when Nolan Schanuel hit the last of four consecutive singles to lead off the fifth inning before Grissom followed with a sacrifice fly that made it 4-1.
Trevor Larnach doubled to lead off the first inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kody Clemens. Lee hit a run-scoring double and pinch-hitter Austin Martin had an RBI groundout in the sixth that made it a one-run game.
Larnach walked with one out and moved to third when Ryan Jeffers doubled in the seventh, but Samy Natera Jr. retired Clemens and Bell to end the threat and preserve Minnesota's 4-3 lead.
Minnesota is 10-4 with a plus-41 run differential in its last 14 against the Angels, dating to September 2023.
Angels RHP Ryan Johnson (1-4, 6.99 ERA) starts Saturday opposite Joe Ryan (6-5, 2.85) in the second of a three-game series.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Angels third baseman Vaughn Grissom throws to first base to get out Minnesota Twins' Kody Clemens during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Samy Natera Jr. celebrates during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins' Trevor Larnach celebrates after hitting a double against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Los Angeles Angels catcher Tyler Heineman scores on a sacrifice fly hit by Vaughn Grissom as Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers attempts to field the ball during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will have his left knee drained Sunday to relieve continued irritation, and the procedure will force him to miss the All-Star Game next week in Philadelphia.
Ohtani will have fluid removed from his left knee following a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he will continue to start at designated hitter. Ohtani had been scheduled to pitch on Friday night, but instead led off with a 381-foot homer to left center after the Dodgers decided to make it a bullpen game to avoid further aggravating the ongoing discomfort in his left knee.
Ohtani has been dealing with the ailment for at least a month. The right-hander had an outing cut short against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 11 because of inflammation in the knee.
“He's been managing this quite well,” manager Dave Roberts said before Friday's game. “If there's a chance that we could kind of be proactive and get it drained and do whatever we need to do to kind of try to manage it, along with the rest for the All-Star break, we were going to do that.”
The four-time MVP has once again been one of the best players in the big leagues this season, and he stands alone as a two-way player.
Ohtani is batting .291 with 21 homers and 57 RBIs and is 8-2 on the mound with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. However, his effectiveness on the mound has diminished somewhat in Ohtani's past four starts. He allowed 12 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings in a span corresponding with the left knee irritation. Ohtani had given up five runs in his first 10 starts.
“I think that our hope is if we can (have Ohtani) not make this start ... (and) kind of get the inflammation out, you know, get strong, recover body-wise, then I think he should be in a much better spot,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers don't expect the procedure will affect Ohtani's availability as a pitcher in the second half of the season, but Roberts said it was too early to know where he would be slotted in the Dodgers' six-man rotation following the All-Star break. Los Angeles starts an East Coast road trip next Friday with a three-game set against the New York Yankees.
Ohtani's absence will be a blow for baseball's midsummer showcase at Citizens Bank Park. The Japanese star — who turned 32 earlier this week — is among the game's most popular players and led MLB in jersey sales last year.
He hit his 300th career homer on Tuesday night, a leadoff shot against Colorado's Michael Lorenzen that made him the first Japanese-born player in the majors to reach the milestone.
The Dodgers are the two-time defending World Series champions since adding Ohtani in free agency on a record-breaking 10-year contract in December 2023.
Los Angeles had baseball's best record at 61-33 entering Friday. Being in contention to pull off the major leagues' first three-peat since the 1998-2000 Yankees factored into Ohtani's willingness to miss the All-Star Game.
“Nothing is going to fall in front of being healthy for October,” Roberts said. “For him to concede and miss a start for the best interests of him and the team, that's not a surprise.”
St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Iván Herrera was named as a replacement to the National League All-Star team on Friday after Ohtani was ruled out of the game.
AP Baseball Writer David Brandt contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani gestures after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani is greeted by teammates after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches his home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani sits in the dugout during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits as he flies out during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani fakes a pitch after the Dodgers defeated the against the Colorado Rockies in a baseball game Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
