ALBERT PUJOLS hits his 601st career home run on Tuesday (Flickr/Keith Allison)

Sliding is something to do to gain another base. It’s not recommended when you’re chasing a playoff spot. The Los Angeles Angels lost their third straight game on Tuesday and fell to 2.5 games back in the American League wild card race after the 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

Albert Pujols hit his 603rd career home run for the Halos, but there wasn’t much more to cheer about as they fell to 43-45. Thanks to a loss by the Seattle Mariners, the Angels retained a slight – four percentage points – grip on second place in the AL West.

As has been the pattern in recent games, the Orange County team fell behind early – 5-2 – and rallied late but fell short. The Angels scored a single run in the top of the eighth and ninth innings, but it wasn’t enough.

Yunel Escobar had a good day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run scored and raised his batting average to .294. Kole Calhoun had a couple of hits, including a home run.

J.C. Ramirez (7-7) had a rocky star for the Halos, lasting five innings while giving up seven hits and four runs. He struck out four batters and walked two.

The Angels will hope to end their slide on Wednesday against the Twins with Parker Bridwell (2-1) making the start for the team.