MINNEAPOLIS_After having a nice five-run lead on Wednesday struck from the records due to rain, the Minnesota Twins were hit with a different kind of storm Thursday.
The Houston Astros knocked around Jose Berrios and the bullpen so hard that infielder Eduardo Escobar had to pitch in the ninth inning of a 15-7 loss in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Target Field.
It was the 12th time a Twins position player had to pitch in a game, as Escobar joined Michael Cuddyer, Dan Gladden and Cesar Tovar in that role. He's the first to do it since Shane Robinson pitched an inning at Cleveland on Aug. 18, 2015.
The Astros' 19-hit attack included four more hits for the unstoppable Jose Altuve, who is now eight for nine in the series and just seven hits shy of 1,000 for his career. Carlos Correa hit a three-run homer.
It rubbed more salt into the wound created Monday night, when the Twins led 5-0 in the third inning and waited more than two hours through storms before giving up and calling the game. Since the game wasn't at least five innings, none of the stats counted.
For the first time since July 2, 2012, the Twins had to replay an entire game.
It was far from a re-enactment of the night before. Houston jumped out to a two-run lead when Altuve drove in George Springer with a double to center. Brian Dozier took the relay throw and attempted to nail Springer at the plate but it was too late. Juan Centeno compounded things by trying to throw Altuve out at third. His throw sailed down the left field line, allowing Altuve to jog home with the second run.
Springer batted with two on in the second and sent a liner to left that Robbie Grossman broke in on before trying to retreat back. It was too late, as the ball sailed by him for a two-run double and 4-0 lead. Berrios gave up a ground-rule double to Alex Bregman and a RBI single to Altuve as Houston took a 6-0 lead.
Berrios was lifted with one out in the second inning having thrown 43 pitches.
The Twins got a solo homer from Kennys Vargas in the second and added two more in the third, but Houston sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth inning as they pounded Buddy Boshers for six runs on six hits, including Correa's three-run home run to center.
The Twins scored three runs in the eighth to make it 12-6, including a two-run homer by Vargas. He joined Roy Smalley, Chili Davis and Ryan Doumit to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. But Houston kept hitting, chasing Taylor Rogers with three runs in the ninth.
That forced manager Paul Molitor to go to infielder Eduardo Escobar to finish the inning. Featuring a fastball that reached 90 mph and a curve as slow as 65, Escobar gave up a single to Preston Tucker but got A.J. Reed to line out, Jake Marisnick to pop out and Jason Castro to fly out. Escobar received a standing ovation as he walked off the field.
