Altuve, Correa power Astros past Twins
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jose Altuve had four hits and Carlos Correa homered for the Houston Astros in a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night at Target Field.
For Altuve, the American League's leading hitter, it was the seventh time this season he's had four hits in a game. He also scored twice and knocked in a run as Houston won for just second time in its last eight games.
Correa homered in the first inning and later added a two-run single in the decisive sixth, when the Astros turned a two-run deficit into a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Mike Fiers (8-5) overcame a shaky outing to earn the win, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks in five innings of work. He struck out five.
Michael Feliz, Pat Neshek, Will Harris and Ken Giles pitched four innings in relief, with Giles working around a single run in the ninth for his second save.
Twins starter Hector Santiago (10-6), making his home debut and second start with the club overall, allowed five runs, four of them earned, on seven hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings pitched in dropping to 10-6, including an 0-2 mark with Minnesota.
After a bumpy first inning, Santiago retired 12 of the next 13 men he faced into the sixth, as Minnesota took a 4-2 lead on back-to-back homers by Robbie Grossman and Brian Dozier in the fifth.
But George Springer doubled to lead off the sixth before Santiago issued his only walk. Altuve singled to load the bases for Correa, who bashed a single off the wall in right field that was misplayed by Max Kepler, allowing him to reach second.
Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to short, scoring Altuve for a 5-4 lead and ending Santiago's night.
Houston added single runs in the seventh and ninth innings on an RBI single by Altuve and a sacrifice fly by Springer.
Kepler and Kurt Suzuki each had two hits for Minnesota. Jorge Polanco singled in four at-bats, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.
Suzuki led off the ninth with a double and scored on an RBI groundout. Joe Mauer's two-out walk brought Kepler to the plate as the tying run, but Giles fanned the rookie for the game's final out.
The Astros seized an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on Correa's two-run blast into the left-field bleachers. It was Correa's 16th homer of the season and Houston's first in eight games.
Miguel Sano came back with a solo shot on the first pitch of the second for his 19th homer and fourth in his last five games.
After Suzuki walked to lead off the fifth inning, Grossman ripped a letter-high 1-0 fastball from Fiers deep over the right-field fence for his seventh homer. For Grossman, who went deep 11 times in parts of three seasons with the Astros, the seven home runs is a career high.
Dozier, the next batter, belted a two-strike changeup for his 23rd homer to give the Twins a 4-2 lead.
Minnesota has hit back-to-back home runs on 10 occasions this season, marking the third-highest total in club history and most since the 1986 team did it 11 times.
NOTES: Astros 2B Jose Altuve was back in the lineup. He did not play Monday, snapping a streak of 202 consecutive games, the longest streak in the majors. ... Astros CF Carlos Gomez was not in the starting lineup. Gomez committed an error in Monday's loss and another defensive misplay later in the same inning while also going 0-for-3 at the plate. ... Twins C Mitch Garver was promoted to Triple-A Rochester. To make room, the club released OF Darin Mastroianni. ... The Astros and Twins will continue their four-game series on Wednesday night at Target Field. Houston will send LHP Dallas Keuchel to the mound against Minnesota RHP Ervin Santana.