Twins 6, Astros 2
HOUSTON -- Jose Berrios recorded his first career victory and was backed by the slugging of Brian Dozier and Byung Ho Park as the Minnesota Twins took the opener of their three-game series with the Houston Astros 6-2 on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
Dozier finished 3-for-5 with a double and two runs while Park went 2-for-3 with a walk and his first career triple to carry the Twins (8-18) offensively. Minnesota won on the road for the second time this season.
Berrios (1-1) was victorious in his second career start. The highest-drafted pitcher ever born in Puerto Rico, Berrios allowed a pair of solo home runs while pitching into the sixth inning. He struck out eight against five walks and three hits, tossing 96 pitches en route to the win.
Preston Tucker and George Springer clubbed their third and sixth homers, respectively, to supply the Astros offense.
The Astros (8-18) proved hapless even with ace Dallas Keuchel (2-4) on the mound. Keuchel had his 17-game winning streak at Minute Maid Park snapped, a streak that dated back to his final start of 2014.
Tucker's solo home run to right in the second inning gave Houston a 1-0 lead.
Keuchel escaped the first and second innings by inducing inning-ending double plays, but after retiring the side in order in the third, he unraveled in the fourth.
Keuchel issued four walks in the fourth and, combined with singles from Dozier and Eduardo Escobar, surrendered his tenuous 1-0 lead. Dozier reached on an infield single to shortstop Carlos Correa that ignited the rally, with Dozier initially ruled out before a replay reversed the call.
Miguel Sano and Park walked to load the bases in advance of Escobar, whose single plated Dozer and tied the game. Eddie Rosario pushed the Twins ahead with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Sano before Keuchel walked both John Ryan Murphy and Eduardo Nunez, the latter coming with the bases loaded to score Park and bump the Twins' lead to 3-1.
After needing just 37 pitches to work three innings, Keuchel tossed 46 in the fourth. When Park followed singles by Dozier and Sano with a two-run triple to Tal's Hill in straightaway center field, Keuchel was lifted.
He allowed five runs on seven hits and five walks with three strikeouts over 4 1/3 wobbly innings.
NOTES: Twins RHP Ervin Santana is scheduled to throw a simulated game of 30-40 pitches on Tuesday and, barring any unforeseen setbacks, should return to the club by Saturday to make his fifth start of the season. Santana landed on the 15-day disabled list on April 26 (retroactive to April 20) with a lower back strain. ... Astros CF Carlos Gomez has begun baseball activities and should avoid a trip to the disabled list. Gomez missed his third consecutive game with left rib cage soreness, an injury sustained on an outfield dive last Friday night in Oakland. He could return during the Twins series. ... Astros RHP Lance McCullers worked 4 2/3 innings in extended spring training on Monday, throwing 62 pitches with a fastball velocity between 92-97 miles per hour. McCullers was encouraged by his outing and is scheduled to make a rehab start for Triple-A Fresno on Saturday at El Paso. He has been on the 15-day disabled list since March 25 with right shoulder soreness.