TWINS TAKE THE SERIES
Clutch hitting eludes Astros as they drop series to Twins
Jun 3, 2024, 9:46 am
Twins defeat Astros, 4-3. Composite Getty Image.
Jose Miranda hit a solo homer in the sixth inning and a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth, helping the Minnesota Twins top the Houston Astros 4-3 on Sunday.
“He’s really done so many different things in the lineup for us,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He just plays. He doesn’t get distracted, he doesn’t get caught up in any anything. He’s just ready to play baseball and he’s done a nice job.”
Trevor Larnach also went deep for Minnesota, which took two of three in the weekend series. Steven Okert (2-0) got two outs for the win, and Jhoan Duran handled the ninth for his 10th save.
Miranda's sixth homer of the season — a one-out drive to left-center off Hunter Brown — tied it at 3.
Larnach reached on a leadoff walk in the eighth against Ryan Pressly (0-3). Pinch-runner Manuel Margot moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Jeffers and scored on Miranda's grounder down the third base line.
Larnach got Minnesota an early lead when he homered on Brown's fourth pitch of the game. The leadoff drive was Larnach's sixth homer this season.
Alex Bregman and Victor Caratini went deep for Houston, which lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Bregman’s fourth homer in five games — a two-run shot in the third — gave the Astros a 3-2 lead.
Houston had a shot to take the lead in the seventh. José Abreu walked with one out before a bunt single by Chas McCormick chased Jorge Alcalá.
He was replaced by Okert, and Bregman singled on a grounder to left with two down. But the Astros came up empty when Yordan Alvarez flied out.
Brown struck out seven in six innings. He permitted three runs and five hits.
“Hunter did a phenomenal job,” manager Joe Espada said. “He was really, really good, gave us a chance to win. We just couldn’t do enough to pull off that win.”
Minnesota’s Simeon Woods Richardson, who grew up in suburban Houston, allowed three hits and three runs with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed two homers Sunday after giving up just two in his previous eight starts this season.
The right-hander said it was a dream come true to pitch in a ballpark where he watched so many games growing up as an Astros fan. He also said he had too many friends and family at the game to count.
“But once we step on the field, it’s competitive nature and I can flip the switch easy,” he said. “It’s one thing watching, being a fan, but once you’re competing it’s a different ballgame.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: 3B Royce Lewis (severe quadriceps strain) is scheduled to complete a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday and should come off the injured list Tuesday. Lewis, who has been out since he was injured on opening day, has been with St. Paul since May 25.
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Bailey Ober (5-3, 4.89 ERA) starts the opener of a series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (3-2, 3.26 ERA) opposes St. Louis RHP Kyle Gibson (4-2, 3.60 ERA) in the first of three games with the Cardinals on Monday night.
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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