Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Gary Matthews Jr., Torii Hunter and Mike Napoli all homered, and Ervin Santana threw six strong innings as the LA Angels of Anaheim downed Minnesota, 5-4, in the finale of a season-opening four-game set from the Metrodome.

Matthews hit a two-run homer while Hunter and Napoli added solo shots for the Angels, who won the final three games of the series after dropping the opener. Maicer Izturis also drove in a run for Los Angeles.

Santana (1-0) allowed just two runs on four hits in six innings to earn the win. Francisco Rodriguez hurled a scoreless ninth to record his second save.

"Everything was working well," Santana said. "I was just trying to locate my fastball and my off speed. Nothing is easy. You have to keep working hard and try to keep them off the board."

Joe Mauer finished 2-for-3 with two RBI for the Twins, who have lost seven of their last eight games against Los Angeles. Jason Kubel added a solo homer and Justin Morneau also had an RBI for Minnesota.

Kevin Slowey (0-1) allowed three runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings before exiting with a right biceps strain. Brian Bass followed and gave up a pair of runs in 3 1/3 innings of work.

The Angels jumped on top with three runs in the third. Howie Kendrick doubled to right and came around to score on Izturis' one-out RBI single up the middle. Slowey then flirted with getting out of the inning by getting Chone Figgins to pop out but Matthews followed with a two-run blast over the wall in right-center.

The Twins finally broke through against Santana in the sixth. Carlos Gomez reached second when he laid down a bunt and Figgins threw it away while trying to gun down the speedy outfielder. Mauer followed by lacing an RBI double to right. Michael Cuddyer then moved Mauer up 90-feet with a ground ball before Morneau made it a 3-2 game with a sacrifice fly.

Los Angeles quickly got both of those runs back in the seventh. Hunter, the Twins former center fielder, led off the inning by belting a Bass offering over the wall in left-center for his first home run of the year. Two batters later, Napoli crushed his second long ball of the year over the wall in left and the Angels led 5-2.

Minnesota tried to chip away against the LA bullpen in the home-half of the seventh. Darren Oliver gave up three consecutive one-out singles, to Brendan Harris, Adam Everett and Gomez, before Mauer lifted a sac fly to deep left that made it 5-3. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia had seen enough of Oliver at that point and went to Justin Speier. Cuddyer greeted the right-hander with a line drive to left but it was right at Garret Anderson to end the inning.

The Twins made things even tighter in the eighth after Kubel slammed a two-out, solo homer.

Minnesota then threatened against one of the game's best closers in the ninth. Pinch hitter Matt Tolbert drew a one-out walk off Rodriguez and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Rodriguez punched out Gomez on three straight nasty sliders before intentionally walking Mauer. He then went to a 3-2 count on Cuddyer before fanning him with another slider.

"Guys swung the bat well today," Cuddyer said. "I think we are going to come around. It's just game four of 162 and it's nothing to get bent out of shape about."