MLB

Houston Astros at Minnesota Twins

· Major League Baseball
Houston Astros
46-42, 22-23 Away
Final
13 - 12
Minnesota Twins
49-39, 25-18 Home

Astros outlast Twins 13-12 after nearly blowing 8-run lead in 9th inning

Jeremy Peña had three hits, scored three times and drove in three runs to help the Astros win for the 13th time in 5 games. They are a major league-best 21-9 since June 1.

All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve left the game in the eighth inning after being hit on the left wrist with a pitch. X-rays were negative and he's considered day-to-day with a wrist contusion.

Down 13-5 after Houston scored three times in the ninth, the Twins fell just short with a seven-run outburst. Josh Hader came on with two outs and gave up a grand slam to Carlos Correa before striking out Manuel Margot for his 15th save.

Twins designated hitter Jose Miranda went 4 for 4, setting a team record with 10 straight hits. Hall of Famer Tony Oliva set the previous record in 1967 and it was matched by Mickey Hatcher in 1985 and Todd Walker in 1998.

The Twins pinch hit for Miranda in the ninth, so his streak remains active at 10.

Astros starter Shawn Dubin gave up three earned runs over 2 2/3 innings. It was Dubin’s second start after 14 relief appearances as the Astros – who have five starting pitchers on the IL – hope Dubin can stretch out and become a full-fledged member of the starting rotation.

Six relievers combined to finish out the game, with Bryan King (1-0) picking up his first career victory.

Twins starter Pablo López (8-7) gave up six earned runs in five-plus innings, pushing his ERA to 5.18.

Houston strung together four singles to score three runs in the top of the second, but the Twins got two back and almost more in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and a run in, Dubin walked Willi Castro to make it 3-2.

He then fell behind Correa 3-0, but after taking a strike, Correa lofted a flyball into short right field. Jose Altuve – Correa’s former teammate – sprinted across the outfield grass and made a sliding catch, saving at least two runs.

Miranda hit a solo homer in the third inning, tying it and extending the Twins’ record to 23 straight games with a home run.

In the fifth, Miranda's RBI double off King gave the Twins their first lead. But it didn't last long. The Astros knocked López out of the game with three straight hits leading off the sixth. Peña’s second RBI single of the game tied the score, and Joey Loperfido’s looping double down the right field line off reliever Jorge Alcala gave Houston a 6-4 lead.

Houston tacked on four runs off reliever Josh Winder over the next two innings and added three more on Bregman's homer off Kody Funderburk in the ninth.

UP NEXT

Houston RHP Hunter Brown (6-5, 4.07 ERA) was set to race RHP Joe Ryan (5-5, 3.21) on Saturday.

How can I watch Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins?
  • TV Channel: Astros at Twins 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Twins: 59.3%
Astros: 40.7%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

9th Inning Margot struck out swinging.
9th Inning Correa homered to left (364 feet), Lee scored, Vázquez scored and Castro scored.
9th Inning Hader relieved Contreras
9th Inning Castro walked.
9th Inning Vázquez hit a ground rule double, Buxton scored, Lee to third.
9th Inning Lee singled to right, Kepler scored, Buxton to second.

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/hou.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originHOU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/mlb/500/min.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMIN
1 Games Played 1
1 Team Games Played 1
3 Hit By Pitch 1
12 Ground Balls 15
9 Strikeouts 9
13 Runs Batted In 12
0 Sacrifice Hit 1
16 Hits 17
0 Stolen Bases 0
5 Walks 4
0 Catcher Interference 0
13 Runs 12
0 Ground Into Double Play 1
2 Sacrifice Flies 0
41 At Bats 42
1 Home Runs 2
0 Grand Slam Home Runs 1
22 Runners Left On Base 22
0 Triples 0
1 Game Winning RBIs 0
0 Intentional Walks 0
2 Doubles 5
22 Fly Balls 19
0 Caught Stealing 0
184 Pitches 164
0 Games Started 0
1 Pinch At Bats 2
0 Pinch Hits 1
0.0 Player Rating 0.0
1 Is Qualified 1
0 Is Qualified In Steals 0
21 Total Bases 28
51 Plate Appearances 48
162.0 Projected Home Runs 324.0
3 Extra Base Hits 7
10.5 Runs Created 11.5
.390 Batting Average .405
.000 Pinch Hit Average .500
.512 Slugging Percentage .667
.244 Secondary Average .357
.471 On Base Percentage .468
.983 OBP Pct + SLG Pct 1.135
0.5 Ground To Fly Ball Ratio 0.8
10.5 Runs Created Per 27 Outs 11.5
75.0 Batter Rating 81.0
41.0 At Bats Per Home Run 21.0
0.00 Stolen Base Percentage 0.00
3.61 Pitches Per Plate Appearance 3.42
.122 Isolated Power .262
0.56 Walk To Strikeout Ratio 0.44
.098 Walks Per Plate Appearance .083
-.146 Secondary Average Minus Batting Average -.048
26.0 Runs Produced 24.0
1.0 Runs Ratio 1.0
0.6 Patience Ratio 0.7
0.5 Balls In Play Average 0.5
116.0 MLB Rating 121.0
0.0 Offensive Wins Above Replacement 0.0
0.0 Wins Above Replacement 0.0

Game Information

Target Field

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 28,129 | Capacity:

2024 American League West Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Houston - 73 W2 0.54658383 88
Seattle 3.5 77 W4 0.52469134 85
Texas 10.5 84 W3 0.4814815 78
Oakland 19.5 93 L3 0.42592594 69
Los Angeles 25.5 99 L6 0.3888889 63

2024 American League Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Cleveland - 69 L2 0.5714286 92
Kansas City 6.5 76 W1 0.5308642 86
Detroit 6.5 76 L2 0.5308642 86
Minnesota 10.5 80 L4 0.50617284 82
Chicago 51.5 121 W2 0.25308642 41
Full Standings