Twins vs Astros Recap: Larnach, Keaschall Fuel 8-3 Victory

The Twins rolled into town after winning the night before and took down the Astros 8-3 on Thursday at their home ballpark. Minnesota's bats came alive early and never stopped swinging. Josh Bell smashed a massive home run 452 feet to center field in the first inning. The ball flew so far that it disappeared into the upper deck. That blast with Trevor Larnach scoring gave Minnesota an instant 2-0 lead. Houston answered back when Isaac Paredes grounded into a double play that scored Jose Altuve. But the Twins kept pushing. The game was tight early, and you could feel the momentum shifting back and forth. Minnesota's pitching staff, led by starter Taj Bradley, was sharp from the jump. Bradley struck out 11 batters over five strong innings. The Astros' new starter Tatsuya Imai struggled badly, walking five batters in just over an inning.

Kody Clemens exploded in the second inning with a monster three-run home run to right center. The ball rocketed 399 feet into the night sky. That one swing pushed Minnesota's lead to 5-1. Two batters had already scored before Clemens connected. The hit was the turning point. Houston could not catch up after that. In the fifth inning, Trevor Larnach lined a single to center that scored Victor Caratini and Luke Keaschall. The Twins kept stacking runs. Larnach finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBIs. He was Minnesota's spark plug all night long. Houston scratched back with two runs in the sixth. Joey Loperfido singled to left and Nick Allen singled to right. But the damage was done. Minnesota led 7-3 and had all the momentum heading into the late innings. Bradley's strikeout power kept the Astros off-balance throughout.

Luke Keaschall stepped up in the eighth inning and crushed a home run to left center 373 feet. That blast made it 8-3 and sealed Minnesota's win. Keaschall went 3-for-5 on the night and scored three runs. He was unstoppable at the plate. The young Twins infielder is becoming a star. Minnesota improved to 43-46 after the victory. The Astros fell to 43-47 with the loss. This was game two of the series. The Twins won the night before 5-4 in a close battle. Now Houston needed to bounce back on Friday. The Astros' pitching was the problem tonight. Their staff walked seven batters and gave up eight runs. Taylor Rogers shut the door in the ninth for Minnesota with a strikeout. The Twins' depth pitching came through all game long. Minnesota's mix of young talent and veteran bats showed why they can compete.