MINNEAPOLIS -- A hit batsman. A stolen base. A base on balls. Multiple defensive errors.
In a state where bingo is a beloved pastime, the Astros could have practically filled up a card of pitching and defensive mistakes during a sloppy fourth inning, which was all Minnesota needed to post a 6-1 win on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Target Field.
Despite retiring the first six Twins batters, Spencer Arrighetti flirted with trouble in the third inning, issuing two walks before inducing a lineout and a popup to escape the jam and leave runners stranded at the corners.
But Arrighetti began the next inning by hitting Byron Buxton on the left hand. Buxton promptly stole second and Trevor Larnach walked. Ty France hit a soft liner to left that Jose Altuve had to play on a bounce. Well-aware of Buxton¡¯s exceptional speed, Altuve dropped the ball as he transferred it from his glove to his throwing hand. That error allowed Buxton -- despite a poor read on the play -- to sprint home and score from second base.
¡°When [Buxton] is on the bases, he puts a lot of pressure on you as a defender,¡± Altuve said. ¡°Gotta give a lot of credit to him. Not a lot of guys score on that play right there, but he might be the fastest guy in the league.¡±
While Altuve has been making the routine catches out in left field, he and the coaching staff are still refining his transitions from catching to throwing as the longtime second baseman adjusts to life in the outfield.
¡°He just needs to secure it and exchange before he makes the throw,¡± Astros manager Joe Espada said. ¡°I think that's the only trouble that we've seen on Jose in the outfield -- it's just the transfer. But the routes and flyballs, the tracking, the whole thing, he's looking more comfortable every day.¡±
When his day was all said and done, Arrighetti had surrendered five earned runs on three hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
¡°I just lost the feel for some of my secondary stuff [and] got a little one-dimensional,¡± Arrighetti said. ¡°I didn¡¯t make much of an adjustment and that¡¯s on me.¡±
Offensively, Houston continued to struggle with timely hitting. They left 11 runners on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving two or more runners stranded in four different innings. Fresh off the first five-strikeout game of his career, Altuve went 3-for-5 and hit a leadoff home run, the 41st of his career, to account for the Astros¡¯ lone run.
Houston¡¯s best opportunity to claw back into the game came in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, designated hitter Yordan Alvarez looked at a Jorge Alcala curveball for a called third strike and Christian Walker then flied out to left field, ending the threat.
Strikeouts have been a particular concern for the Astros, who have fanned 25 times in the two games of this series and rank sixth in MLB with 79 team strikeouts.
¡°Their pitching is tough and we¡¯re missing our pitches,¡± Espada said. ¡°We have the ability to cut those down and we will. I like the fact that we¡¯re getting people on base, we just gotta find a way to get the big hit.¡±
The lack of offense meant the fateful fourth inning created a hole too deep to climb out of.
¡°Once [those mistakes] happen, it opens the door for trouble,¡± Espada said. ¡°We¡¯ve always been a really good defensive team, but we can¡¯t give people extra walks and extra bases. Good teams will capitalize on that.¡±