Christian Vázquez hit a home run in the ninth inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Vázquez, who had two hits and drove in all three runs for the Twins, connected on a full-count pitch from Josh Hader for his fourth homer of the season, sending it deep to left field.
“I enjoy facing the closer in the ninth,” Vázquez said. “I really get focused in those situations.” Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up the win for the Twins.
The Astros finished their 10-game road trip with a 6-4 record, while the Twins have won two out of three games in each of their last five series. Minnesota’s offense has been particularly strong recently, racking up 42 hits in the three games against Houston.
“Our lineup is dangerous,” Vázquez noted. “Everyone from one to nine contributes to our success. We never give up, and that’s what makes this game beautiful.”
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti allowed two earned runs and struck out six batters over five innings.
Simeon Woods Richardson had one of his best outings of the season for the Twins, giving up two earned runs over six innings and retiring the final 13 batters he faced.
“It’s satisfying to see a pitcher figure things out as he goes along and finish strong,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “He gave us a chance to win, and we did.”
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa exited the game in the first inning after being hit on the right hand by a pitch. Initial scans were negative, and he was diagnosed with a finger contusion, according to the team.
