Mauer hits two homers, but Twins fall to Angels

John Lackey's only regret about his latest start was that he didn't get one more shot at getting Joe Mauer out.

Lackey had already given up two homers to Mauer when the AL batting leader came up with a runner on and two outs in the eighth, but Angels manager Mike Scioscia went to the bullpen to close out Los Angeles' victory over the Minnesota Twins, 6-3 on Friday night.

"I definitely wanted to make another run at him, especially with a four-run lead. I didn't want him to get the last say, I guess," said Lackey, who was Mauer's batterymate during a postseason All-Star tour of Japan. "He's a catcher that calls a good game, and he can hit. He's the real deal. He's thinking along with you, and it's definitely a big challenge."