ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) &045; A couple of well-placed groundballs with two outs was all the Minnesota Twins needed against the Los Angeles Angels.

Juan Castro had three RBIs, including a go-ahead two-run single, and Jacque Jones homered in the Twins’ 7-5 victory Monday night.

The Twins have won seven of their last eight games.

&uot;Everything is starting to click right now,&uot; said Torii Hunter, who had three hits. &uot;We’re playing good ball.&uot;

Carlos Silva (7-3) gave up four runs, eight hits and struck out a season-high six in 6 1-3 innings to win his fourth consecutive decision.

&uot;I was hitting my corners very good,&uot; Silva said. &uot;You have to know where you’re going to throw

those pitches because every time you make a mistake they’re going to hurt you.&uot;

Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 24th save in 26 chances.

&uot;Silva pitched very good against a very tough lineup that can score some runs,&uot; Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. &uot;Carlos changed speeds and used a lot more breaking balls on these guys. Against this team you have to use your other pitches.&uot;

Castro singled to right in the sixth inning, giving the Twins a 5-3 lead. Vladimir Guerrero homered in the bottom of the inning, but Jones led off the eighth with a shot to center field, increasing the Twins’ lead to 6-4.

&uot;I was just trying to make some contact,&uot; Castro said. &uot;We got hits at the right time.&uot;

John Lackey gave up a two-out RBI single to Justin Morneau in the fourth on a ball that didn’t leave the infield. Castro’s RBI single in the sixth came with two outs.

&uot;I felt like I threw the ball better than the results are going to show,&uot; said Lackey, who had never faced Castro before. &uot;It’s just frustrating when you work hard and pitch well for a pretty good stretch, and then something like that can put you right back where you started.&uot;

The Angels closed to 6-5 in the eighth on a RBI double by Maicer Izturis, but Juan Rincon struck out Dallas McPherson to end the inning.

Hunter made it 7-5 in the ninth with a two-out RBI double.

Lackey (6-3) gave up five runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings, struck out six and walked two. The right-hander lost for the first time since May 9, a 3-0 defeat against Cleveland.

&uot;John had good stuff and he did make some terrific pitches to get out of some innings, but he had some chances to put some guys away and couldn’t make a pitch,&uot; Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. &uot;There were just some little things that added up.&uot;

Darin Erstad hit a two-run homer in the first for the Angels, who had won three straight.

Castro’s RBI double in the fourth put the Twins ahead 3-2 and helped him snap an 0-for-10 streak. Minnesota got two other runs in the inning on a double by Jones and Morneau’s single.

Los Angeles tied the game at 3-all in the fifth on a hit by Adam Kennedy.

Kennedy was ejected in the ninth by plate umpire Tom Hallion for arguing a called strike.

Notes: Silva has not allowed a walk in his last three starts, and he leads the majors in fewest walks per nine innings. … The Twins improved to 24-27 on the Fourth of July; the Angels fell to 21-27. … The Angels have not committed an error in the last 14 games, tying the club record set from June 14-28, 1991. … The Twins lead the season series 3-1. … Angels OF Steve Finley, on the DL with a strained right shoulder, will take live batting practice in the next couple of days and likely return after the All-Star break.