Rookie Cam Smith bounced a first-pitch, walk-off single into center field in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Houston Astros topped the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Saturday to secure the three-game series.
Smith completed the rally started against Twins closer Jhoan Duran (4-2) by Christian Walker, who walked with one out, and extended by Jake Meyers’ two-out single. Smith recorded just the fourth hit of the game for the Astros to make a winner out of closer Josh Hader (3-0), who struck out two in the top of the ninth.
Astros right-hander Hunter Brown, who struck out a career-high 12, and his counterpart with the Twins, right-hander Joe Ryan, engaged in a riveting pitchers’ duel.
Brown was precise early, needing only 35 pitches to complete one turn through the Twins’ lineup. He struck out the side in the first inning and added four more strikeouts before surrendering a two-out single to Willi Castro in the top of the fourth. Brown responded with a strikeout of Matt Wallner to conclude that frame.
Ryan wasn’t quite as sharp early, and he was the first to blink when Brendan Rodgers dumped a one-out single into shallow right field in the bottom of the third. Jeremy Pena replaced Rodgers on the bases with a fielder’s choice grounder and scored when Yainer Diaz drove an 0-1 fastball the opposite way over the right field wall. Diaz gave the Astros a 2-0 lead with his ninth homer.
Ryan responded by retiring 12 consecutive batters. Meyers snapped that string of dominance by working a two-out walk in the seventh, only for Ryan to record a called third strike against Smith to complete his outing.
Ryan allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings.
Brown finally faltered in the top of the fifth when Carlos Correa stroked a leadoff single to center and Brooks Lee followed with his sixth home run of the season, a game-tying two-run shot to left-center, extending his hitting streak to 14 games with the 345-foot shot.
Byron Buxton (hit by pitch) and Trevor Larnach reached in succession to open the sixth, but Brown followed by retiring the next six batters to conclude his seven-inning outing. In total, he allowed two runs on three hits and one walk.
Buxton later departed with an elbow contusion.
–Field Level Media
