Vázquez homers in 9th inning to give Twins 3-2 win over Astros

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Christian Vázquez started the ninth inning with a home run, propelling the Minnesota Twins to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday. Vázquez, who finished with two hits and all three RBIs for the Twins, connected on a full-count sinker from Josh Hader (3-5), sending it deep into left field for his fourth home run of the season.

Johan Duran (4-3) closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win for Minnesota. The Astros concluded their 10-game road trip with a 6-4 record, while the Twins secured their fifth consecutive series by taking two out of three games from Houston. Minnesota’s offense was particularly potent, amassing 42 hits over the three-game series.

Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti pitched five innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out six batters. On the other side, Minnesota’s Simeon Woods Richardson had a strong outing, surrendering two earned runs over six innings and retiring the final 13 batters he faced.

In unfortunate news for the Twins, shortstop Carlos Correa exited the game in the first inning after being hit on the hand by a pitch. Initial scans were negative, diagnosing Correa with a finger contusion.

The Astros took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning against Woods Richardson, capitalizing on back-to-back walks to load the bases. César Salazar’s sacrifice fly and Jose Altuve’s base hit drove in the runs for Houston. Vázquez responded for the Twins with a two-out single in the second inning and a fielder’s choice grounder in the fourth, knotting the game at 2-2.

Looking ahead, the Astros return home to Houston for their last stretch before the All-Star break, where they will face the Marlins with Ronel Blanco (8-3, 2.53 ERA) scheduled to start on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Twins head to Chicago to take on the White Sox for a three-game series starting Monday, with Chris Paddack (5-3, 5.29 ERA) potentially returning from the IL to start the game.