HOUSTON _ After hitting a homer Monday and bashing three doubles Tuesday, Alex Bregman had more for the Twins on Wednesday.
Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi tried to come inside with a fastball and Bregman was all over it, crushing to two-run homer to left in the third inning to get the Astros off and running. Twins pitchers proceeded to give up runs in four consecutive innings as Houston completed a three-game sweep of the series at Minute Maid Park, winning 9-1 in Wednesday's finale.
And Bregman led the onslaught. All five of his hits in the series went for extra bases, as the Twins never found an answer.
Before the game, Twins manager Paul Molitor was asked about Bregman, the swing stylist.
"I like watching good hitters, not so much against us," Molitor said. "He's very calm, doesn't panic, sees the ball a long time. I think there's a lesson to be learned, not that it is for everybody. But he has tremendous bat control, and part of the reason is that he's not afraid to choke up on the bat. Still has power. He's just dangerous. You don't know where he's going to hit it. He's got a chance to hit mistakes."
The Twins have a scheduled off day Thursday before facing the Royals on Friday at Target Field.
Odorizzi also gave up a two-run homer to Evan Gattis in the fourth inning and ended up being charged with five earned runs over 4 2/3 innings. With a 5-9 record before the game, Odorizzi has no chance of reaching double figures in wins for the third consecutive season, especially since the Twins are going to a six-man rotation down the stretch.
The Twins didn't get on the board until the fifth, when Willians Astudillo homered to left to make it 4-1. Yuli Gurriel had an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-1, then Jose Altuve broke a 0-for-19 skid with an RBI double off John Curtiss in the sixth to give Houston a 6-1 lead.
Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, walking with a slight limp through the clubhouse Wednesday afternoon, wanted to take batting practice to see how he felt after injuring his left leg the night before. The Twins decided to be cautious and nixed the idea.
There is still hope he could be ready to play Friday when the Twins open a three-game series against the Royals _ which is a little surprising given he was carted off the field Tuesday because of a lower left leg bruise after sliding into second base. But Sano, despite the limp, indicated he feels much better.
"I wouldn't have surmised that would be the likely outcome at the time of the injury, but thankfully he's doing well," Molitor said.
Eddie Rosario got in some running and took batting practice before Wednesday's game and could return to action Friday as well. Rosario has not played since the Cleveland leg of the road trip because of a sore left quadriceps.
