MINNEAPOLIS ¨C Maybe it was the flight from Houston to Minnesota, where Brendan Rodgers just tried to relax, forget his early season struggles and get to know his teammates better. Or more comfort with a new swing that features a wider base and lower, quieter hands.
Whatever it was for the Astros¡¯ new second baseman, it worked on Thursday afternoon at Target Field.
The former Rockie, who began the season just 2-for-12 at the plate, went 3-for-4 and drove in his first three runs as an Astro, helping spoil Minnesota¡¯s home opener with a 5-2 win.
¡°That first homestand, you want to perform [as the] new guy on a new team. You want to get those big hits, those big home runs. I kind of felt the pressure,¡± Rodgers said. ¡°Last night, on the flight, I just tried to relax, hang out with the guys and get to know them more. That¡¯s been a huge help in taking that stress off.¡±
Houston (3-4) began its first road trip of the season hitting a paltry .178 with four extra-base hits. On Thursday, the Astros racked up nine hits ¨C five of them for extra bases ¨C powered by the revamped right side of the infield, as Rodgers and first baseman Christian Walker combined to go 5-for-7 with a home run and four RBIs.
Walker¡¯s homer led off the second inning with Houston trailing 2-0. Shortstop Jeremy Pe?a immediately followed with a blast of his own to left, turning the tide for the 'Stros.
"After that first inning, coming back and getting two solo homers from Walker and Pe?a shifted the momentum back to a 0-0 ballgame,¡± Rodgers said. ¡°Like Walk said, we have a super deep lineup, a lot of guys that can hit for power, get on base [and] take their walks.¡±
The home run was an important one for Walker, the Astros¡¯ marquee free-agent signing, who ¨C similar to Rodgers ¨C had started the season in an uncharacteristic 3-for-24 (.125) slump.
¡°It¡¯s always a confidence thing,¡± Walker said. ¡°To make that game 2-2 like that kind of recharged us and got us back on track.¡±
Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (1-1, 3.00 ERA) surrendered two runs in the first, but he settled down after inducing an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Brown retired 16 of the last 18 hitters he faced, striking out eight and walking none while showcasing the electric stuff that has many convinced he¡¯s a future ace.
¡°It was a bit like [his start last year in Minnesota], where there were all those jam shots for hits,¡± Houston manager Joe Espada said. ¡°But he settled down nicely and had an incredible outing.¡±
Overall, Astros pitching retired 15 straight Twins batters at one point and didn¡¯t allow a hit out of the infield after Willi Castro led off the second with a single.
In what proved to be the decisive fourth inning, Twins starter Joe Ryan balked, moving Walker and catcher Victor Caratini into scoring position. One pitch later, Rodgers singled through the drawn-in infield to score both runners and give Houston the lead for good.
¡°Brendan Rodgers has been really close,¡± Espada said. ¡°He¡¯s been barreling a lot of balls since Spring Training, and it was nice to see some luck behind the hard hits. And Christian Walker ¡ they hung that first breaking ball and he didn¡¯t miss it. Good offensive day.¡±