It took Albert Pujols a month, but the dry spell is finally over. And it looks like that day off proved to be pretty therapeutic.
The 32-year old slugger, who inked a montrous 10-year, $240 million deal this offseason, swatted his first home run of the season Sunday afternoon, so let’s shut up about it. He needed 139 at bats to do it, but now he can finally get out of the microscope and try to make the Angels contenders.
Jered Weaver takes the mound as Los Angeles starts a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins where the Angels are favored by 1 1/2 runs, with a -170 moneyline, on Bovada.
Starting against Minnesota seemed to turn out pretty well for Weaver last week. The 29-year old tossed his first career no-hitter against the Twins and gets a rare opportunity to face them back-to-back. Weaver only faced 29 hitters, two over the minimum, in that game, allowing Chris Parmalee to reach on a dropped third strike and Josh Willingham on a walk.
It will be just the sixth time since 1991 that a pitcher no-hit a team only to face them the next week. The other five found mixed results in their following start, highlighted by Scott Erickson’s seven-run disaster in 1994.
“(Facing the same team in consecutive starts) is my biggest pet peeve about being a pitcher. It’s tough,” Weaver told the Angels’ website. “You have to pitch a little bit different, but it’s hard to pitch different because you have to pitch to your strength, as well, and the opposing team will know that.”
The Twins seem eager to get another shot at him.
“I would want to be hungry to get back out there to try him again, but on a given night, if Weaver’s on, he’s tough,” Twins acting manager Scott Ullger told the Associated Press. “Obviously, he pitches better at home, so maybe that will be a little advantage for us.”
Hard to expect the Twins to score that many tonight, though. They haven’t even scored that many this month. Dwelling at the bottom of the AL Central, Minnesota has plated just five runs in May, batting just .096 in that span. It has lost 11 of its last 13, and are just 3-8 at home.
But two of those wins came against the Angels, who are 3-9 on the road. Los Angeles’ longest winning streak stands at two, much in part to its troubles on the road. Weaver himself is 4-0 at home with a 0.83 ERA, compared to being 
winless on the road.
One advantage might be a more-relaxed Pujols, who ended his longest-career homerless streak with a two-run shot against the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s hitting just .196 for the season, and is 0 for 8 career against Minnesota’s starter, Francisco Liriano.
Pujols is getting +350 to make it back-to-back tonight and hit another dinger, according to Bovada’s Angels vs. Twins Props page.