The Minnesota Twins were looking for their first series sweep of the Houston Astros since 2013, but Chas McCormick’s four RBI and Hunter Brown’s dominating performance helped Houston earn a 5-1 victory in Sunday’s series finale at Target Field.
McCormick was moved into the leadoff spot prior to Sunday’s game and became the catalyst for the Houston lineup. With a man on in the top of the third, McCormick launched an opposite-field home run off Tyler Mahle to give the Astros a 2-0 lead.
After Donovan Solano chipped into the lead with an RBI double in the fourth inning, McCormick delivered again with a two-RBI single in the top of the fifth.
McCormick finished the game 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI but it was Brown that made sure the lead held up. Brown tossed a career-high seven innings, allowing one run two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters.
With Solano’s double the lone blemish on Brown’s afternoon, the Astros added an insurance run with an RBI double from Jeremy Peña off Emilio Pagán in the eighth inning to walk out of Minneapolis with a victory.
Mahle allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six batters in six innings of work while Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the loss.
The Twins fell to 6-3 with the loss and will open a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox on Monday afternoon. Kenta Maeda (0-1, 1.80 ERA) will take the ball for the Twins while Dylan Cease (1-0, 1.59 ERA) is expected to start for the White Sox.
