Bradley Strikes Out 11 as Twins Beat Astros 8-3

Bradley Dominates the Mound

Taj Bradley delivered a masterful pitching performance to lead the Minnesota Twins past the Houston Astros, 8-3, on Thursday at Daikin Park. Bradley earned the win, improving his record to 7-3, by striking out 11 batters over five innings of work. He allowed four hits and one earned run while issuing three walks. His dominance was the primary catalyst for the Twins' offensive explosion, which included three home runs in total during the contest.

Early Offensive Surge

The Twins jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Bell launched a 452-foot home run to center field, driving in Larnach to make the score 2-0. The Astros responded in the bottom of the first when Paredes grounded into a double play, allowing Altuve to score and cut the deficit to 2-1.

Minnesota’s offense broke the game open in the second inning. Clemens hit a 399-foot home run to right-center field, bringing home Keaschall and Lee for a three-run blast that extended the Twins' lead to 5-1. This long ball proved to be a pivotal moment, shifting the momentum firmly in favor of the visiting club.

Extending the Lead

The Twins added to their advantage in the fifth inning. Larnach singled to center field, allowing Caratini and Keaschall to score, pushing the margin to 7-1. The Astros managed to get on the board in the sixth inning. Loperfido singled to left field to score Matthews, making it 7-2. Allen followed with a single to right field, driving in Smith to make the score 7-3.

Minnesota sealed the victory in the eighth inning when Keaschall hit a 373-foot home run to left-center field, increasing the final margin to 8-3.

Pitching Support and Final Notes

Bradley received ample support from the Twins' bullpen. Cody Laweryson pitched 0.2 innings, allowing two hits. Andrew Morris pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and earned the save, improving his save total to 11. Taylor Rogers and Yoendrys Gomez each pitched one scoreless inning, with Rogers recording one strikeout and Gomez recording one strikeout.

For Houston, Tatsuya Imai took the loss, falling to 5-4. He pitched 1.1 innings, allowing four hits and five earned runs while issuing five walks. AJ Blubaugh pitched 2.2 innings, striking out three batters. Nate Pearson pitched one inning, allowing two earned runs. Miguel Ullola pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts, and Bryan Abreu pitched two innings, allowing one earned run and striking out three batters.

The victory improved the Twins' record to 42-46, while the Astros fell to 43-46. The game drew an attendance of 29,179 at Daikin Park.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401815987