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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Pitching in a tight game helped Jered Weaver concentrate even more than he usually does. Weaver outdueled Mike Pelfrey with eight innings of two-hit ball after Albert Pujols drove in a first-inning run, and the Los Angeles Angels beat Minnesota 1-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep by the Twins. "With the score 1-0, you try to focus a little more on executing pitches because you know that one bad pitch can hurt you -- especially in a day game with the wind blowing out," Weaver said. "You have to be a little more focused in on what you have to do. Obviously, youre going to pitch a little differently in a 1-0 game than you are in a 4-0 game." Weaver (5-5) struck out nine and walked one in his first home start against the Twins since his no-hitter on May 2, 2012. The three-time All-Star retired 19 consecutive batters during one stretch -- just four days after teammate C.J. Wilson set down 18 in a row against Oakland. "After losing the first two games to those guys, I wanted to come out and try to limit runs," Weaver said. "The game plan going into every game is to try to keep them off-balance. My fastball command was good, I was able to mix in the changeup later, and the defence took care of the rest. Pelfrey threw a great game, and one run was the difference." Weaver improved to 8-2 lifetime against the Twins with a 3.28 ERA. Doug Bernier, a 33-year-old rookie who got his first major league hit and RBI on Monday, singled on an 0-2 pitch with one out in the first. The Twins didnt get another runner until Ryan Doumit walked on four pitches with two out in the seventh, and rookie Aaron Hicks singled with two out in the eighth. "He was the No. 1 they needed him to be," Minnesotas Justin Morneau said. "We came in here winning the first two, and he beat us. We got his pitch count up a little bit early, but he settled in like most of the number ones do. He changed speeds really well and got ahead in the count. And when he works ahead, he makes that off-speed stuff more effective." Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his 25th save in 27 chances, less than 24 hours after giving up five runs including a grand slam by Chris Herrmann in the 10th inning of the Angels 10-3 loss. The right-hander ended it by striking out Herrmann with runners at the corners. "Thats why I like to be a reliever. I dont like to wait like five days to pitch," Frieri said. "I want to pitch every day. I like to get the chance the next day. If I didnt do good today, I just want my (manager) to give me another chance to prove myself." Frieri walked his first batter, then hit Bernier with an 0-2 pitch before Morneau came up and hit a not-too-high popup between the mound and first base. Frieri let it drop and started a double play by throwing to first base. Bernier ended up in a rundown and was tagged out by first baseman Mark Trumbo as Clete Thomas advanced to third. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire came out and complained to plate umpire Mike Muchlinski that is should have been ruled an infield fly. "You never expect that popup, but youve got to be ready for anything," Frieri said. "When I saw the ball coming, I heard (shortstop Erick) Aybar screaming: Drop it! Drop it! My reaction was to go to first base. Aybar and (Alberto) Callaspo were like: Next time, youve got to go to third." Angels right fielder Josh Hamilton missed his third straight game because of right ankle stiffness. Pelfrey (4-8) pitched six innings and allowed five hits, including Pujols run-scoring single in the first. "He really deserved to win that game today, but we didnt score any runs for him," Morneau said. "These last few starts hes really been throwing the ball well after coming off the DL. Today he had a little more velocity. I think that maybe that little bit of rest was what he needed. Its something he can build on and get some confidence out of that." The right-hander is 1-5 with a 4.64 ERA in his last 12 starts. His only victory during that stretch was July 6, when he pitched six innings of 3-hit ball in a 6-0 win at Toronto. "Those first two months were brutal months," Pelfrey said. "But I feel like Im back to what I used to be. So its exciting for me. And hopefully Ill continue to get better. My fastball was really good today. The velocity was there and the movement was there. I was locating on both sides of the plate. If you go in to righties, then it opens it up to go away." NOTES: With C Joe Mauer back in Minnesota spending quality time with wife Maddie and newborn twin daughters Emily and Maren, the Twins recalled Drew Butera from Triple-A Rochester after placing Mauer on the paternity list. Butera, who spent the previous three years as Mauers backup, had 79 at-bats with the Red Wings after recovering from a broken left hand. ... Former Minnesota SS and current TV analyst Roy Smalley recalled Wednesday that when he played for the club, owner Calvin Griffith offered a $10,000 bonus to any Twins player whose wife gave birth to twins. Smalleys twin daughters Catherine and Laura-Leigh were born in 1984, just before he began his third spring training with the Yankees. ... Weaver is 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA in his last four starts, lowering his overall ERA to 2.98. ... Angels CF Mike Trout was 0 for 4, ending his career-best hitting streak at 15 games. ... The Angels signed 38 of their 39 draft picks this year, the best percentage in the franchises 53-year history. The only exception was RHP Blake Goins, a 12th-round selection who decided to attend the University of Texas.Mohamed Salah Liverpool Jersey . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. Andrew Robertson Liverpool Jersey . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. http://www.footballliverpoolstore.com/Women-Adam-Lallana-Liverpool-Jersey/ . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Joel Matip Liverpool Jersey . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Pedro Chirivella Liverpool Jersey . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.The Red Zone refused to relent. Energizing its home gym in Solana Beach, California, Santa Fe Christians student section jumped and shimmied and yelled Bounce! Bounce! Bounce! before each Long Beach Poly serve in the first round of the state Open Division playoffs last month.SFCs 6-foot-2 senior outside hitter, Lexi Sun, the nations top recruit who recently signed with Texas, logged a forceful kill in the second set that landed into the Zone. Her classmates clawed to get a fingertip on the ball, fighting for position the way fans at a concert vie for a pop stars tossed hairband.Sun, the 2016 ALL-USA Player of the Year, kept her cool as Poly fought back, 24-22. Sun smiled, patted a teammate on the back and, in a blink, threw down two monster kills with ease.Its like she floats and then a cannon goes off, said Brad Sandusky, SFCs sports information coordinator, shaking his head at the scorers table.Behind Suns 25 kills and three blocks, SFC defeated Long Beach Poly 25-21, 26-24, 25-22. Sun, who has attended the school since kindergarten, looked back at the net. She has spent hours here perfecting her swing.Things arent just going to be given to you, Sun said. You have to truly work day in and day out for the things you want. You cant take days off. You cant take plays off.Grabbing the micTwo hours before the Poly match, Sun helped take down the basketball hoops from the boys practice and began dribbling a volleyball.Can you dunk? a boy asked.I havent really tried, Sun said.With a jump touch of 10 feet, 9 inches, she probably could. Her father, Conrad, played basketball for Sacramento State and for the Taiwanese national team. Her mother, Beth, was a competitive swimmer. Her brother, Marcus, played basketball for Wheaton College, and her sister, Natalie, was an NAIA All-American soccer player at Azusa Pacific.Sun, an Under Armour High School First Team All-American, was awarded the 2016 Best Spiker Award for the U.S. Junior National Team. Shes also a four-time all-tournament team honoree at the USA Junior National Championship Tournament.She can do things that very few people in the world her age can do, said Ozhan Bahrambeygui, her coach at Coast Volleyball Club. Shes explosive. She has an attacking range that very few people have. She has an elastic arm, she picks great lines of attack and shes a super-dynamic blocker.She might even be a coach.Before a league match against rival The Bishops School (La Jolla, California), Sun walked to the front of the locker room after coach Amanda Miles finished her pregame speech. Sun, hardly ever seen without a smile, grew serious. She paced back and forth in front of her teammates.When shes talking, senior Sami Shields said, everyone listens.Suns energy radiates. She relishes debates. She jumps and waves and shouts friends names when she sees them across the football field. Shes the first to break out on the dance floor at homecoming. She sings shortly after waking up at 6 every morning.Her pregame speech for Bishops started off slow. All right, guys, its game day, Sun said, raising her voice as each second passed. We can DO THIS, she said. We dont have ANYTHING to lose. Sun finally exploded. THIS IS OUR GAME!!!!SFC pulled off the upset for the first time. Everyone was asking, Wow. Where did that come from? I havent seen you play that kind of volleyball in a while, Miles said. It might have been the pregame speech.Sun asks Miles to stay after practice every day for extra serve receive. Even when Miles immplemented more into practice one day, Sun still asked to stay later: Just 10 more minutes, Coach, she said.dddddddddddd Just 10 more minutes.She wants to challenge herself, Miles said. Its her way of saying, Im not going to take the easy way out. Nothings givenEleven-year-old Sun cried, screamed and kicked in the car ride to her first-ever volleyball practice.She had been a soccer player, a forward, on a team that had won back-to-back State Cup championships. Her parents suggested she try volleyball, as she had sprouted to 5-10. If she didnt like it, she could quit.Sun hated it. Her mind understood the coachs directions, but her body couldnt translate them into movements. She huffed after every mistake, bursting into tears when her parents picked her up.Once Sun made friends, she began to have fun with the sport. Then she began to like it. Then she began to love it. Then she began to need it. The game came easy -- she was tall, she jumped high -- and she received her first college letter in sixth grade.Then, she faced women more experienced and, in some ways, more talented than her. Just a freshman, she was the youngest on the USA U-23 national team that competed at the world championships in Mexicali, Mexico. She hardly left the bench. It was a humbling experience, Sun said.When she came back from that, Conrad said, I think her experience was, In order for me to get to the next level, I need to work really hard. I want to own this. I want to do this for myself. She continued to be challenged, becoming the leading scorer on the U-18 national team that won silver in Peru in summer 2015, her junior year. Coach Jim Stone, who would make the team redo plays until they were immaculate, challenged Sun to limit her hitting errors, something she struggled with.I would always get away with making those little errors and people would just say, Oh shes young, she still has to grow, she still has time, Sun said. I think that made me realize, OK. Nows the time. There cant be any more excuses. I need to find a way to get better. Sun, who helped USAs U-20 national team earn silver at a tournament in Florida last summer, practiced religiously. She received hundreds of Division I letters, which didnt stop even after she verbally committed to Texas in April 2015. As the nations most sought-after recruit, she was constantly told how great she was.Her parents werent having it. They rarely talked about volleyball, not wanting Sun to get caught in the hype and lose her drive. It was, Get your homework done. Lets get dinner. Were going to church. Regular stuff, Beth said. Were still like that.Sun, who also considered Stanford, USC, UCLA, Washington, Penn State, Nebraska and Minnesota, said she felt a connection with Texas beyond volleyball. After staying for seven hours on her first visit, and getting to know the coaches, players and even former Longhorns, Sun felt Texas was the best fit. Texas, which already features some of the best outside hitters in the nation in sophomore Micaya White, junior Ebony Nwanebu and senior Paulina Prieto Cerame, plays Stanford Saturday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN) for the national championship.Aiming to play at the U-20 world championships in Mexico this summer, Sun already is preparing for the challenge of college ball.You always have to work for something worth having, she said.Just 10 more minutes. ' ' '