The Houston Astros fell to the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Monday night inside Daikin Park. The game was the first following a seven-game road trip for the Astros, and it marks the beginning of a matching seven-game homestand in Houston.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Astros (42-45) went with Peter Lambert on the mound, who has continued to have a breakout season for Houston. He worked a 1-2-3 top half of the first to get the Astros into the dugout.
The Twins (41-45) countered with Zebby Matthews, a right-hander making his ninth start of the campaign. Matthews matched Lambert with an up and down frame, retiring the Astros in order in the first.
The game stayed scoreless until the fourth inning. In the top half of that frame, Royce Lewis got Minnesota on the board first with a solo home run into the Crawford Boxes. That was followed with another home run, this one by former Astros Victor Caratini. That made it 2-0 in favor of the Twins.
Houston’s offense finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Cam Smith launched a solo shot of his own, cutting the lead in half and making it 2-1.
That would not last, however. Lambert once again gave up the long ball in the sixth. This time it was a two-run homer courtesy of Josh Bell. That put Minnesota in control with a 4-1 lead.
The Twins would add an insurance run to make it 5-1 entering the ninth. In that final inning, Taylor Trammell hit a two-run shot that came right after a controversial call that did not allow the Astros to challenge a potential ball four call. After that, Smith hit a solo shot that perhaps would have tied the game. Instead, Houston fell one run short in a 5-4 loss.
BIG NUMBER: 3
The Houston offense struggled for the first eight innings of this game. They scored just one run in that stretch, with the other three coming in the ninth inning.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cam Smith
The former Seminole hit two homers in this game, keeping the Astros in it and alive. However, his offensive outburst was not enough to get Houston on the winning side.
UP NEXT: The Astros and Twins will meet again tomorrow night at 7:10 PM inside Daikin Park. The game can be heard on Newstalk 98.5 FM.