Astros Dominate Twins 10-3 in Series Opener

Jose Altuve and rookie Jacob Melton each contributed three RBIs as the Houston Astros overwhelmed the Minnesota Twins with a 10-3 victory on Friday night.

Chris Paddack, starting for the Twins, struggled significantly, allowing 12 hits and nine runs—eight of which were earned—over just four innings, marking his third consecutive loss and tying his career high.

On the other side, Astros rookie Colton Gordon delivered a solid performance, yielding six hits and two runs while striking out five in a career-best six innings.

Jeremy Peña matched his season-high with four hits, while Cam Smith added two hits and two RBIs, helping the AL West-leading Astros secure their third straight win.

The Twins, reeling from recent defeats including a 16-4 loss to Texas on Tuesday and a 16-3 setback on Thursday, saw Willi Castro, Royce Lewis, and Ty France each hit solo home runs in a game that marked their third blowout loss in four outings.

In a concerning moment for the Twins, Lewis, who had just returned from a hamstring injury at the start of the season, pulled up while sprinting to first base on a single in the ninth inning and was replaced by a pinch-runner. Manager Rocco Baldelli confirmed that Lewis has a strained left hamstring but noted that the severity remains unclear, with further updates expected Saturday.

The Astros wasted no time establishing dominance. With the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, Smith's two-run single to center field put Houston ahead 2-0. Melton followed with a single to right field, driving in another run.

In the second inning, Altuve's double with runners on first and third extended the lead to 5-0.

The Twins threatened in the third by loading the bases with two outs, but Carlos Correa grounded out to extinguish that opportunity.

Melton's two-run triple in the bottom of the third pushed Houston's lead to 7-0, followed by a sacrifice fly from Mauricio Dubón that made it 8-0.

Castro finally got the Twins on the board with a two-out homer in the fourth inning. However, Altuve responded immediately with a homer to left-center, increasing the Astros' lead to 9-1.

Smith's earlier two-RBI single had already set the tone for Houston's offensive onslaught.

With four doubles in this game, the Astros have now accumulated 15 doubles over their last three contests.

Looking ahead, Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (8-3, 1.82 ERA) is set to face Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (7-2, 2.96) on Saturday.