Twins blow early six-run lead, fall to Astros in ten innings on Sunday

That's a tough loss to swallow. The Twins led the Astros 7-1 after four innings at Target Field on Sunday, but Houston chipped away, tied it off of Griffin Jax in the ninth, and won the game 9-7 in the tenth to secure a series victory.

Minnesota's lead had been cut to 7-5, but they just needed three outs in the top of the ninth inning from Jax, who was one of the best relievers in the American League last season. He gave up a leadoff single to Isaac Paredes, then had a first-pitch fastball launched into the seats by Yordan Alvarez to tie the score. After allowing four homers in 71 innings last year, Jax has already given up two in 2.2 innings in 2025.

Yordan Alvarez goes to the upper deck to tie it in the 9th. 😳 pic.twitter.com/GzeJOhqchd
— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2025

The Twins couldn't score in the bottom of the ninth against Josh Hader, sending the game to extras. There, Houston got an RBI single from Jose Altuve and a steal of home by Jake Meyers to take a two-run lead. Hader came back out for the bottom of the tenth and set the Twins down in order to finish off the ballgame.

Minnesota starter Chris Paddack was certainly better than his disastrous six-hit, four-walk, nine-run season debut against the White Sox, but he wasn't particularly sharp in this one. Although he was able to pitch around some trouble and only allow one run in the first four innings, Paddack failed to make it through the fifth. His final line was 7 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs (3 earned) allowed across 4.0 innings. His season ERA sits at 14.73 through two starts.

The Astros cut into their deficit by scoring three runs off of Paddack in the top of the fifth, then made it a two-run game on a Paredes single off of Darren McCaughan in the sixth.

Minnesota's bats stayed hot for a second consecutive day — at least for the first four innings. They recorded 11 hits and five walks against Houston pitching, giving the crowd in Minneapolis plenty to cheer about early on. Leadoff hitter Matt Wallner, who came into the day just 4 for 25 with four extra-base hits, recorded his first four singles of the season and scored a pair of runs. It's the second four-hit game of Wallner's career. Four different Twins hit doubles on a day where eight of their nine starters recorded a base hit.

But the Twins' offense dried up after the strong start. They couldn't add onto their lead, which allowed the Astros to rally and win it. In the eighth inning, the Twins had two on with no outs, and the middle of their order was unable to drive in an insurance run that could've made the difference.

After the Astros plated a run in the top of the first inning, the Twins responded with three in the bottom half on three hits and a walk. Ryan Jeffers delivered the big hit of the inning with a two-run double off the wall in right-center field. Houston starter Ronel Blanco threw 36 pitches in the first.

Blanco didn't make it out of the second inning. The first two batters reached base, and Carlos Correa drove in the Twins' fourth run with a single to left. After a Trevor Larnach walk, Blanco was pulled from the game. He had thrown 61 pitches in just 1.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits and three walks.

The Twins stretched their lead to six runs in the fourth inning. They put two on with no outs for the third time in four frames, Buxton doubled off the wall down the right-field line, and Larnach pulled a ball down the line for a two-run double.

But the early lead didn't last. The Twins will look to bounce back on Monday when they kick off a four-game series against the Royals in Kansas City.

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