MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Angels got a big one when Troy Percival continued to put up zeros against the Minnesota Twins.

Percival escaped an eighth-inning jam and capped a stellar effort by the bullpen as the Angels posted a 6-3 triumph over the Twins and evened the American League Championship Series at one game apiece.

After starter Ramon Ortiz (1-0) allowed three runs in 5 1/3 shaky innings, Angels manager Mike Scioscia turned to his vaunted bullpen. Brendan Donnelly got the final two outs in the sixth and fellow rookie Francisco Rodriguez cruised through the seventh before struggling in the eighth.

When Rodriguez allowed a two-out single to Doug Mientkiewicz that brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth, Scioscia went to his closer, who had not allowed an earned run in 33 regular-season appearances against Minnesota.

Percival struck out pinch hitter Bobby Kielty to end the eighth, then fanned two in the ninth to notch his third postseason save.

"My approach was go out there and throw a good pitch to get ahead of him," Percival said. "I was trying to climb the ladder against him and he kept fouling off. He was right on it. I knew I had to brush him back off the plate or come up with something offspeed."

"I didn't expect to see a changeup," Kielty said. "He's pretty much just gonna throw 98. You just gotta get on it earlier than you expect to have to. His 98 is faster than most 98s in the league, mostly becasue he has a little rise in it."

Percival entered a game in the eighth inning just four times this season but already has done it twice in the playoffs.

"The way the matchups were going today, I thought it was going to be better to get Percy in there in the eighth," Scioscia said. "Percy came in against a very, very dangerous hitter, especially from the left side. He's been swinging the bat especially well. Percy did a great job of making some pitches and broke out a nice offspeed pitch to get him looking on strike three."

Minnesota starter Rick Reed (0-2) was tagged for six runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He was hit hard for the second straight playoff outing and fell to 1-3 in seven career postseason appearances.

The Twins bullpen held Anaheim in check over the final 3 2/3 innings, but the offense was unable to rally.

Brad Fullmer sparked the Angels' offense with a two-run homer off Reed in the sixth. Darin Erstad also homered for Anaheim.

Game Three is Friday in Anaheim. The Angels will send 18-game winner Jarrod Washburn to the mound against fellow lefthander Eric Milton.

The Angels bounced back from a 2-1 loss in Game One.

"Tonight we were able to do some things," Scioscia said. "I thought we ran the bases well in the game. They opened the door a little for us and we took advantage of it."

The Angels broke on top six pitches into the contest when Reed made a terrible 0-2 offering that Erstad hammered over the wall in right-center field.

"I definitely didn't want to get behind Reed," Erstad said. "I was aggressive, and on 0-2, I was just trying to make contact. It's something that doesn't happen very often. I just go out there trying to help our team. We needed a win and we got it."

"I tried to get it inside, but it tailed over the plate," Reed said. "He's a professional and he did what he was supposed to do with it."

After Ortiz cruised through the bottom of the first, Anaheim gave the righthander breathing room with three more runs in the second.

Troy Glaus led off with a single and Brad Fullmer doubled. Scott Spiezio blooped an RBI doublento right, but Reed got Bengie Molina to fly out. Adam Kennedy bounced back to the mound and Reed got Fullmer at the plate.

With a chance to escape the inning with his team trailing just 2-0, Reed picked off Kennedy at first base. But as Kennedy got into a rundown, Spiezio broke for the plate and scored when he dislodged the ball from catcher A.J. Pierzynski's glove.

Pierzynski was trying to handle a rushed, low throw from Gold Glove first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. The error proved even more costly when David Eckstein singled to right, scoring Kennedy for a 4-0 lead.

"I made the big mistake tonight, blame it on me," Pierzynski said. "He (Mientkiewicz) hit me in the perfect spot. Spiezio hit my arm and charley-horsed it. My arm was numb for five innings. But he hit me in the perfect spot, everything was clean."

"It was a bang-bang play," Mientkiewicz said. "My throw was a little up the line and if I had made a perfect throw, we would have gotten him."

Reed could not keep the damage to four runs, surrendering a two-run homer to Fullmer in the sixth.

Ortiz, who was bombed by the New York Yankees in his Division Series start, appeared to tire in the sixth. Cristian Guzman opened the sixth with a double and scored on Corey Koskie's single.

David Ortiz struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch, but Torii Hunter kept on the pressure with a double. Mientkiewicz followed with a single up the middle that got Minnesota within 6-3. Scioscia called for Donnelly and the 31-year-old struck out fellow rookie Michael Cuddyer before retiring Pierzynski on a lineout to second.

The Twins' last gasp came in the eighth when Hunter walked with two outs and Mientkiewicz followed with a bloop base hit. But Percival came on and caught Kielty looking at a tough 1-2 pitch.

"Our bullpen has been outstanding all year," Percival said. "They've set me up better than any time in my past career. I've been in the eighth inning four times this year because those guys have been so good."

"It is a challenge, you got a lot of different throwers out there," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of the Anaheim bullpen. "Those guys have all different looks. They have great sliders. It's the first time we've seen the kid (Rodriguez). Wow, the ball was jumping out of his hand. Then you've got Percival to end it up. That's pretty good. That's why they're where they're at. They did a good number out there."

Angels right fielder Tim Salmon left in the third inning with tightness in his right hamstring. He got a cortizone shot and is expected back in the lineup Friday.

"He's day-to-day, we'll evaluate it, Scioscia said. "He has a slight strain in his hamstring. We thought it was better at that point to just get him out. He felt it tighten up a little. It grabbed a little bit. Better to get him out there than to risk something further happening, where he wouldn't be available at all."