MINNEAPOLIS _ Tyler Duffey was under no duress at the time. It was third inning and he had just coaxed another ground ball from a Houston batter.
But there he was on mound, muttering to himself as Jake Marisnick grounded out, like he had just walked a batter or given up a run.
It was another one of those nights for Duffey, where it was easy to see what mood he was in on the mound. He ended up in a good mood at the end, as the Twins held on for a 3-1 win over Astros as they opened a seven-game homestand at Target Field.
And Duffey improved to 7-8 on the season as he won his second straight outing. The Twins have won nine of their last 12 and are 21-12 since July 1. The Astros, who sizzled earlier this summer, are 5-11 over their last 16 games.
The game was played in 2 hours, 18 minutes, the fastest game of the season.
It was a matchup of right-handers who love their curveballs. Duffey can throw his at three different speeds. Houston right-hander Collin McHugh throws the classic 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock hammer. The two combined to strike out 12 batters on three hits through the first 4 { innings of the game with their curveballs figuring prominently in the outcomes.
Someone needed to score run. The Twins ended up breaking through, thanks to help from an old friend in the fifth inning
Eddie Rosario, who was 3-for-4 and hit the ball hard all night, smoked a single to center to led off the fifth. Jorge Polanco followed with a drive to center field that fell in for a single, but Gomez missed the ball as he cruised across center, allowing it to go to the wall for a two-base error. Rosario scored the first run of the game.
Juan Centeno followed with a fly ball to center that Gomez immediately lost in the sky. The ball landed about 25 feet behind him on the edge of the warning track as Polanco scored to make it 2-0. McHugh looked out to center field with a, 'what the heck are you doing?' look on his face.
Danny Santana followed with a RBI single to make it 3-0.
Duffey got the first out of the sixth but then gave up a walk and two singles as Houston scored a run to make it 3-1. A phone call to the bullpen was made, and pitching coach Neil Allen went to the mound.
Duffey went right to work, getting Carlos Correa to ground out to third and then striking out Evan Gattis to get out of the jam. Duffey pounded his hand into his glove as his 95th and final pitch of the night got him through six with a 3-1 lead.
The Twins bullpen took over from there, with Taylor Rogers, Ryan Pressly and Brandon Kintzler. Kintzler pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 11 opportunities.
