MINNEAPOLIS -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout showed why he's one of the best baseball players on the planet on Thursday night.

Trout had a pair of homers, including a grand slam, reached base five times and made a potentially game-saving play in the outfield, leading the Angels to an 11-8 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

Trout's slam in the second inning helped erase an early five-run deficit, giving Los Angeles a 6-5 lead it would continue to build on. His fantastic running catch in the left-center field gap to end the Twins' third inning prevented at least two runs from scoring and kept the Angels ahead by two runs -- until he led off the top of the fourth with a solo homer to make it a 9-6 game.

"That's why he's the best player in the world," Angels catcher Chris Iannetta said.

Trout finished 2-for-3 with three walks, five RBIs and three runs scored. It was his eighth career multi-homer game and his fourth grand slam (second this season). His 38 homers established a new career high with two weeks remaining in the season.

"It's September, we gotta go now," Trout said. "Eighteen, 17 more games left? Every one that we play is going to be big and we need to win them all."

The win moved the Angels to within one game of the Twins in the American League wild card standings and to within 2 1/2 of the slumping Houston Astros for the second wild card spot.

"We kept pressuring them. It was an offensive night that we needed," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It was good to see."

Angels reliever Matt Morin earned the win pitching 1 1/3 innings of relief of starter Hector Santiago, who did not get out of the first inning. Closer Huston Street worked a perfect ninth for his 36th save.

Twins right-hander A.J. Achter took the loss (0-1), allowing Trout's grand slam in relief of starter Tommy Milone, who gave up five runs on four hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings.

"It's embarrassing, the way I pitched out there tonight," Milone said. "I put my teammates, the bullpen, in a bad position. Just a matter of falling behind and having to throw strikes. You get too much of the plate and big league hitters are going to be able to square things up. That's what they did."

The Twins hit for the cycle in the first inning, using a single, two doubles, a triple and a long two-run homer to post a five-spot against Santiago.

After a strikeout to lead off the inning, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier should have been an easy second out after he popped the ball up in the infield. But Angels first baseman C.J. Cron and second baseman Taylor Featherston could not find the ball, which dropped between first base and the mound. Dozier raced into second and was awarded a double.

"Usually they are telling the pitcher to get out of the way," Santiago said. "I saw it the whole way but by the time I could react, it was too late."

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer followed with an RBI single to right field to make it 1-0. The hit extended Mauer's streak of reaching base safely to a career-high 37 games.

Third baseman Trevor Plouffe walked two batters later to set up right fielder Torii Hunter, who crushed an 0-1 offering into the second deck in left field for his 20th homer. It was the 212th career home run for Hunter in a Twins uniform, moving him into fifth on the team's all-time list.

"For the most part, we've done pretty well in games where we've been able to get out front," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "But it got ugly. We just couldn't contain (them). It's disappointing to squander a five-run lead like that right out of the chute."

Left fielder Eddie Rosario followed with a triple off the wall in right center and scored on a double by catcher Kurt Suzuki, the final blow against Santiago, who was charged with five earned runs on five hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. The start was the shortest of his four-year big-league career (80 starts).

"They just piled on," Santiago said. "I fell behind some counts and I don't think I was right on (after that)."

Rosario's 13th triple this season is the most by a major league rookie since Ray Lankford had 15 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991.

Los Angeles scored six times in second. Milone gave up a leadoff double to third baseman David Freese and a one-out single to catcher Chris Iannetta, cutting into the lead at 5-1.

Back-to-back singles by Featherston and Erick Aybar loaded the bases ahead of Kole Calhoun, who drew a walk to make it 5-2. The walk ended Milone's night after 1 1/3 innings, but it didn't close the book on him.

Achter fell behind 2-0 before Trout blasted a 422-foot shot over the wall in right-center field.

NOTES: Angels INF Grant Green was available off the bench after missing the last two weeks with soreness in his Achilles tendon. He is hitting .190 in 42 plate appearances with Los Angeles this season. ... Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker will throw a bullpen session on Friday and could start Sunday if he has no setbacks. ... Twins LHP Glen Perkins had no setbacks from a bullpen session on Wednesday and remains on track to be available Friday. He has not pitched since Sept. 1 because of soreness in his neck and back that required two cortisone injections. ... The Angels and Twins will play the second game of a four-game series on Friday at Target Field. Los Angeles will start LHP Andrew Heaney (6-3, 3.32 ERA) against Minnesota RHP Mike Pelfrey (6-9, 4.09).