Verlander, Astros shut out Twins
Justin Verlander worked seven shutout innings in the Houston Astros' 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Verlander (2-0) recorded nine strikeouts against just one walk while allowing four hits. He pitched around baserunners in the first and fourth innings with relative ease before escaping a serious jam in the sixth immediately after Houston (9-2) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the frame.
Minnesota's Jason Castro doubled to open the inning and advanced to third when Brian Dozier followed with a single to the left side of the infield. However, Verlander struck out Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano before getting Eddie Rosario to pop out to second base.
In the seventh, Verlander worked around a two-out single by Max Kepler.
The game's only runs scored on a J.D. Davis single in the sixth inning and a Marwin Gonzalez double in the eighth.
The Twins (4-4) fashioned a threat in the bottom of the eighth against Astros right-hander Brad Peacock, loading the bases with one out via a Castro single, a Mauer walk, and a Sano fielder's choice grounder to third baseman Alex Bregman, with Mauer beating the throw from Bregman to second base.
Houston right-hander Chris Devenski emerged from the bullpen and needed just one pitch to snuff the threat, inducing a 6-3 double play from Rosario to preserve the lead.
Devenski returned in the ninth, and he sandwiched a pair of outs around an Eduardo Escobar double. Ken Giles then entered and induced a grounder from Byron Buxton for his first save of the season.
After scoring just six runs during their three-game interleague series win over the Padres, the Astros scuffled against Twins right-hander Lance Lynn, who recorded nine strikeouts while allowing three hits and four walks over five shutout innings.
In the sixth, Davis' RBI single off Taylor Rogers (1-1) scored Carlos Correa from third base.
With Correa on first in the eighth, Gonzalez roped a double off the left field wall against Twins right-hander Addison Reed.
--Field Level Media
