Angels stretch early cushion, tie series

MINNEAPOLIS -- So much for Minnesota's Metrodome dominance.

Darin Erstad and Brad Fullmer homered off Rick Reed as Anaheim built a six-run lead, and the high-flying Angels beat the perky, pesky Twins 6-3 Wednesday night to head home with a split in the first two games of the AL championship series.

A night after Joe Mays stymied Anaheim's high-octane offense in the Twins' 2-1 victory, the Angels got to Reed from the start. Erstad, the No. 2 batter, sent Reed's sixth pitch over the fence in right-center, where it landed 409 feet away -- nestled in a stacked-up seat used for football games.

Anaheim tacked on three more runs in the second, two of them unearned because of a costly error by catcher A.J. Pierzynski -- who couldn't hold on to a throw home after Reed caught a runner off first.

When the series resumes Friday in California, Jarrod Washburn pitches for the Anaheim against Eric Milton -- who no-hit the Angels in September 1999.

With Tuesday's win, Minnesota improved its postseason record at the Metrodome -- where grounders to shortstop can turn into doubles -- to 13-2. Reed has two of the Twins' three postseason losses in the dome.

Anaheim found the solution: Get a big early lead to quiet those Homer Hanky-waving fans.

A Metrodome baseball record 55,990 filled the ballpark, and they didn't like what they saw early. Erstad, 5-for-12 against Reed in his career, put the Angels ahead in the first with his first postseason homer.

After failing to get a leadoff hitter on in the first 10 innings of the series, Anaheim's first three batters got hits in the second, with Scott Spiezio's bloop double near the right-field line bouncing over an onrushing Michael Cuddyer to make it 2-0.

After Reed threw out a runner at the plate on a comebacker, Pierzynski's error cost the Twins two more runs.

Reed caught Adam Kennedy leaning and threw to first for the pickoff. Kennedy broke for second, Spiezio then headed home from third, and Mientkiewicz threw to the plate.

But Pierzynski couldn't handle the throw as Spiezio made contact with him and scored. David Eckstein's RBI single made it 4-0.