08/11/2007 3:10 AM ET Escobar's early dominance paves way Right-hander allows a lone run; Izturis hits grand slam late By Larry Santana / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- Each of the 165 pounds stacked on Maicer Izturis' five-foot, eight-inch frame belie the power within. Put a bat in his hand and leave a bases-loaded, 0-1 pitch hanging over the middle of the plate and the diminutive second baseman becomes destructive -- the coy Angel becomes a rock star. Just ask Scott Baker. The Minnesota starter watched a 90 mph toss explode off Izturis' bat as quickly as it left his hand, landing in the right-field bleachers for a grand slam. The first career blast of its kind for Izturis, the four-runner put the Angels up by five runs. They would ride that momentum to an eventual 10-1 rout of the Twins in the opener of a three-game set at Angel Stadium Friday. "Izzy's got surprising power," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Once in a while, he gets into it and it goes a long way, and it couldn't have come at a better time." After surrendering consecutive one-out singles to center by Garret Anderson and Gary Matthews Jr. in the pivotal sixth, Baker awarded Casey Kotchman a base on balls to put a runner on each bag. A coaching visit followed, prompting the entire infield to converge at Baker's island. After a lengthy discussion, the once-reeling right-hander appeared poised to regain control. First pitch: strike. He was on his way. Second pitch: gone. Cue the fireworks. And the geysers. And the deafening applause. As "Song 2," a guitar-heavy anthem by the British band Blur, blared from the stadium's sound system, Izturis trotted around the basepaths, elated that his launch ballooned a 2-1 lead into a 6-1 affirmation of victory. "It's not my game," Izturis said. "I know that I've hit a couple home runs during this homestand. They've been big ones, but that is the job of the big guys. "I'll take them. Obviously, this is a very special one. It's a grand slam, but I don't want to get enamored with doing that because then my swing gets all out of whack." Halos fans have undoubtedly become enamored with Izturis recent penchant for the long ball, with three of his four jacks this season coming in his last 10 games. The offensive eruption continued in the seventh, with Los Angeles extending its lead by four runs with three base-knocks, three walks and a sacrifice fly. Each of the Angels' nine batters made an appearance in the batter's box during the inning, with Kotchman, Jeff Mathis, Reggie Willits and Chone Figgins each sending a runner home to put their team up for good at 10-1. Kotchman, Willits and Figgins finished with two hits each. Starter Kelvim Escobar offered Minnesota a twin dose of perilous pitching, following up his June 5 outing -- a three-hitter during the Twins' last series opener at Angel Stadium -- with a six-inning effort, scattering five hits and allowing only a single run. He picked up his elusive 12th win of the season after suffering three losses and a no-decision in his last four starts. "That game was a lot closer than we thought," Scioscia said. "Kelvim slams the door in the sixth, and we end up breaking it open. Kelvim had to make some big pitches in the end to hold the lead. "He wasn't quite as crisp. I think his command got away from him a little bit, but when push came to shove, he made some terrific pitches, and stranded a lot of guys on base. That's the sign of a good pitcher." It was in the sixth, with the Angels clinging to a slim 2-0 lead, that Minnesota appeared primed for a game-altering assault. With two outs, Torii Hunter singled with a soft grounder to third. Jason Kubel followed with a walk before Rondell White lined single to left that scored Hunter and slashed the deficit to 2-1. With Kubel and White on first and second, Nick Punto drew a walk to load the bases, bringing Alexi Casilla to the plate. Escobar ended the four-pitch duel with a 95 mph screamer to the inside corner of the plate, good for a called third strike. "He's a tough out," Escobar said. "He's one of those guys that's going to put the ball in play, and he can fly. I was able to get ahead with the offspeed [pitch] and finish it off hard inside. "That was the game for me right there. That was huge." --

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