Twins 5, Astros 4: Twins win despite their best efforts

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 29: Victor Caratini #37 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on June 29, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images Wheewwwww. Everyone relax, have your drink of choice, and take a deep breath. It may not feel like it, but the Twins did, indeed, win that game.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Things were actually going quite well for 90% of this game. Let’s start on the mound where Zebby Matthews delivered another very solid start. I remain a bit skeptical of how long he can keep this up given all the hard contact he allows, but you can do a lot worse for a fourth/fifth starter (see: Simeon Woods Richardson, Matt Shoemaker, Dallas Keuchel, the starter version of Louie Varland, Josh Winder, or any other “remember some guys” guys over the past half decade).

class="wp-block-paragraph">Zebby and the coaching staff came in with a clear plan: let anyone except Yordan Alvarez beat you. And it worked quite well! Alvarez came to the plate with runners on just once all night and Matthews essentially intentionally walked him, with all his pitches staying far clear of the strike zone. The only hit the Twins’ starter allowed through four innings was a bloop single by shortstop Nick Allen. And the only run came on a hanging slider that was, unquestionably, his worst pitch of the night. Cam Smith deposited the ball, if my estimates are correct, about a mile out of the stadium (don’t check Statcast, I’m sure my math is right).

class="wp-block-paragraph">Since being recalled on May 14, Matthews has gone 6+ innings in eight of his nine starts, including his past five straight. The results have been mixed and he’s given up a staggering 11 home runs already, but it’s hard to overstate how helpful a steady arm like Zebby is when you have a bullpen like this. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

class="wp-block-paragraph">The offense was equally absent for the Twins in the first third of the game, but things finally started moving in the fourth when Royce Lewis and Victor Caratini popped back-to-back two-out homers to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. Speaking of good signs, that is now Royce’s fifth homer since his infamous “reset” demotion after having just three in the entire first two months of the season, while the spirit of Ryan Jeffers seems to have infected Caratini who sports a robust 182 wRC+ in the month of June. Those two are a big reason the Twins suddenly have the most runs scored in the American League.

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Not wanting to miss out on the action, another resurgent June bat got in on the action for the Twins. Josh launched a two-run moonshot in the sixth, while a little small-ball action got the Twins one more in the seventh for a 5-0 lead that they took into the ninth inning. And then things got weird.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Travis Adams came back out for the ninth inning after pitching a clean eighth. Things started off well when he got Alvarez to ground out to open the frame. Adams then walked Isaac Paredes on five pitches, none of which were anywhere close to the strike zone. And as the Metrodome always says: walks will haunt. And in fact, they would have haunted even more if not for a bizarre ABS situation.

class="wp-block-paragraph">With Paredes on base, Astros first baseman Christian Walker came up and home plate umpire Brennan Miller called a first pitch strike that was a solid 3-4 inches outside which Walker did not challenge. Then, seven pitches later with a full count, Miller called Walker out on strikes on a pitch that was a solid 3-4 inches above the zone. Walker tried to challenge this pitch but Miller wouldn’t allow it, claiming Walker had looked into the Astros dugout and either saw a replay or a coach gave a signal to challenge. Everyone from me, to my wife next to me on the couch, to Cory Provus, to Adams and Caratini knew that was ball four but Miller apparently thought Walker was trying to pull a fast one.

class="wp-block-paragraph">And as an avid Twins fan I just have to say…. I really think the Twins got away with one there.

Brutal.

Christian Walker tried to challenge a pitch that would’ve been ball four but wasn’t allowed. This would’ve lead to a 3-run HR by Taylor Trammell which was followed by a solo HR by Cam Smith. pic.twitter.com/hQkUZi4Lsr

— SleeperAstros (@SleeperAstros) June 30, 2026And it’s a good thing too! Taylor Trammell followed with a two-run bomb to bring the Astros within two runs and force Yoendrys Gomez into the game. Gomez started his outing with an odd situation, where he was charged with a pitch clock violation after forgetting his PitchCom device during a mound visit with Caratini. It took the umps at 10 minutes of deliberating to come to that conclusion. Cam Smith then got his second hanging breaking ball of the night and demolished it into the stands to bring the score to 5-4 and what would have been a tie game if Walker was allowed his challenge. Then, just to make sure we were really sweating, the game ended on a soft grounder that Kody Clemens had to throw with his glove to get the final out.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Somehow, the Twins squeezed out a victory and and have a great chance to take the series tomorrow with Joe Ryan back on the mound.

class="wp-block-paragraph">STUDS

Royce Lewis, Victor Caratini, Josh Bell: a dong apiece • >Zebby Mathews: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HRDUDS

Me: “watching baseball” to “wind down” and “relax” • >JK NO DUDS TWINS WIN!