ASTROS WIN THE SERIES

Houston Astros rally from six down to stun Twins in extras

Houston Astros rally from six down to stun Twins in extras
Astros beat the Twins 9-7. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Jose Altuve drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the 10th inning after Yordan Alvarez tied it with a two-run homer in the ninth and the Houston Astros rallied from an early six-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 9-7 on Sunday.

 

Altuve's single off Twins reliever Louis Varland (1-1) scored automatic runner Brendan Rogers from third base.

 

Jake Meyers then stole home on a double steal to make it 9-7.

 

Josh Hader (1-0) retired all six batters he faced to earn the victory.

The Twins led 7-1 after four innings, but the Astros came all the way back by scoring twice in the ninth off Twins reliever Griffin Jax to tie it at 7. Isaac Paredes led off with his fourth single of the game and Alvarez hit Jax's next pitch for his first home run of the season.

Matt Wallner had four hits and Trevor Larnach drove in three runs for Minnesota.

The Twins scored three runs in the first, a rally keyed by Ryan Jeffers' two-out, two-run double. They added three more in the fourth, with Byron Buxton and Larnach's back-to-back doubles driving in the runs as Minnesota took a 7-1 lead.

Key moment

With two on and two outs in the sixth, Alvarez sliced a sinking liner to left field off reliever Danny Coulombe. Harrison Bader charged in and made a diving catch to preserve Minnesota’s 7-5 lead.

Key stat

The Astros (.565) and Twins (.551) began the day ranked 29th and 30th in the league in OPS, but combined for 24 hits in the game.

Up next

Astros: Begin a three-game series at Seattle on Monday with RHP Hayden Weseneski (0-1, 5.40) starting the opener.

Twins: Send RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-0, 4.50) to the mound Monday when they open a four-game series at Kansas City.

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Hunter Brown takes the mound for Houston Tuesday night. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros will look to even their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night at Daikin Park, with ace-in-the-making Hunter Brown taking the mound.

The Astros (55-36) dropped the series opener 7-5 on Monday, snapping a stretch that saw them win six of their last eight games. But they'll have their best arm on the hill in Brown, who enters with a 9-3 record, a sparkling 1.82 ERA, and a microscopic 0.90 WHIP. The right-hander has been the definition of dominant this season, striking out 126 batters and giving Houston a clear edge in any matchup he starts.

Cleveland (41-48) will counter with Joey Cantillo, who has impressed in limited action. The lefty owns a 3.41 ERA and will face a Houston lineup that has been red-hot, batting .298 over the last 10 games and piling up runs behind contributions from Victor Caratini, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve.

Despite Monday’s setback, the Astros are still 32-15 at home and boast a 43-13 record when outhitting their opponent. Cleveland, meanwhile, has lost nine of its last 10 and is hitting just .187 over that span — though Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan remain threats to change a game with one swing.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Meyers has 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 21 RBIs for the Astros. Meyers is dealing with a calf issue and was out of the lineup for Game 1 versus the Guardians.

Caratini is 10 for 38 with two doubles and four home runs over the past 10 games.

Tuesday marks the fifth meeting between the two clubs this season, with the series tied 2-2. With Brown on the mound and the offense continuing to click, Houston will try to reclaim control and keep pace atop the American League.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -211, Guardians +173; over/under is 7 runs.

Lineup breakdown

Here's an early look at Houston's lineup for Game 2. Spots 1-6 are the same as Game 1, except Cooper Hummel is playing left field, with Altuve in the DH spot. Mauricio Dubon is hitting seventh and playing second base, with Zack Short (SS) hitting eighth, followed by Taylor Trammell batting ninth and playing center field. Jake Meyers is out of the lineup again with a calf issue.



 

  Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot


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