Rookie Cam Smith hits walkoff single to give Astros a thrilling 3-2 win over Twins
HOUSTON (AP) — Rookie Cam Smith hit a tiebreaking RBI single off closer Jhoan Duran with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Houston Astros a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.
Duran (4-2) walked Christian Walker with one out in the ninth and he moved to third on a two-out single by Jake Meyers. Smith then singled on a grounder to center to score Meyers for his first career walkoff hit and Houston's fourth straight victory.
Closer Josh Hader (3-0) struck out two in a scoreless ninth for the win.
Both teams got strong performances from their starters. Houston's Hunter Brown allowed three hits and two runs with a career-high 12 strikeouts in seven innings. Minnesota's Joe Ryan yielded two hits and two runs while fanning seven in seven innings.
Yainer Diaz hit a two-run homer for Houston in the third and Brooks Lee tied it with his shot in the fifth that extended his career-long hitting streak to 14 games.
Bryan Abreu struck out three in a scoreless eighth for the Astros.
Brown plunked Byron Buxton on the left elbow to start the sixth before walking Trevor Larnach. But he retired the next three batters, with two strikeouts to escape the jam.
Buxton remained in the game for the bottom of the inning but was replaced in center field by Harrison Bader in the bottom of the seventh. The team said he had left because of a bruised left elbow.
Key moment
Smith's single to win it.
Key stat
Brown has a 1.88 ERA, which ranks second in the American League.
Up next
Minnesota RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (2-3, 5.74 ERA) opposes LHP Brandon Walter (0-0, 1.64) when the series concludes Sunday.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
After sweeping Angels, Yankees are on to L.A. to face World Series champion Dodgers
ANAHEIM, Calif. – J.C. Escarra stole a called third strike to seal Wednesday night's final out, and the Yankees 30-year-old rookie catcher wasn't shy about it. 'It was definitely a ball; it was way out there,'' Escarra said of Mark Leiter Jr.'s 2-2 curveball that upset the Angels' Logan O'Hoppe and secured a 1-0 Yankees win. Advertisement Winners of five straight and 16 of their last 20 games, the Yanks rode a first-inning Anthony Volpe sac fly to victory, on a night when .391-hitting Aaron Judge was twice intentionally walked - in the first two innings - with first base open against lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi. Framing pitches into the strike zone is something 'we work on every day to help our pitchers,'' and Escarra's assist finished the Yanks' three-game sweep at Angel Stadium. These first-place Yankees now enter their anticipated weekend series at Dodger Stadium with a seven-game AL East lead, riding their highest wave of the 2025 season. Yankees riding a wave into Dodger Stadium May 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) bats in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Aaron Boone's club couldn't have timed this 2024 World Series rematch any better, with Judge anticipating 'an electric atmosphere'' beginning Friday night. Advertisement 'They bring the noise, they bring excitement. It's one of my favorite places to play,'' said the Yankees captain, who'll also be reminded how badly things ended in the Bronx. You'll recall how the Dodgers clinched a brutal Game 5 for the Yanks, who kept their losing streak going with Juan Soto bolting to the Mets in free agency and ace Gerrit Cole undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. But a rebuilt Yankees lineup, centered around Judge, has thrived and the rotation – led by Max Fried – has found its footing. In holding the Angels (25-30) to just three runs in three games, the Yanks (35-20) saw starters Ryan Yarbrough, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt yield just one combined run in 19 innings. Yankees' bullpen shows different late-inning look Schmidt's six scoreless innings Wednesday were especially key, due to a taxed Yankee bullpen. Advertisement 'I think it was his best outing of the year,'' Escarra said of Schmidt, who spent the final innings 'cheering every pitch'' inside the clubhouse. Recent workloads kept Luke Weaver and Devin Williams out of Wednesday's mix, and Boone was only going to Leiter Jr. in a save opportunity. Leiter's chance came after Ian Hamilton regained a level of trust with five outs (as did lefty Tim Hill, retiring the one batter he faced with one pitch). May 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. (56) and catcher J.C. Escarra (25) celebrate at the end of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images 'To be honest, it was kind of more calming,'' said Leiter Jr., after his second save of the season. 'I knew when I was going to pitch.'' After pinch-hitter Jo Adell lined out to third to start the ninth, Leiter Jr. got reigning AL Player of the Week Taylor Ward looking at an 0-2 splitter. Advertisement After walking Jorge Soler on 3-2 curveball, Leiter got that assist from Escarra for the final out. On deck: Yankees vs. Dodgers 'Everyone else did their job. It's my turn to come in and do mine,'' said Leiter Jr., operating this year with an extra two-to-three miles per hour on his sinker. Leiter credited some intensive offseason work with his dad, a former big-league pitcher, that improved his mechanics and raised his velocity. And that's 'allowing his breaking stuff and splitter to play even better,'' said Boone. 'The bigger the spot, the more he thrives. He's fearless out there.'' An hour after Escarra's stolen strike, a boisterous group of Yankees boarded luxury buses to L.A., ready for the next challenge: Shohei Ohtani and the world champion Dodgers. Advertisement "It's going to be great to see how we stack up against them,'' Judge said. This article originally appeared on Yankees sweep Angels, and now it's on to L.A. to face Dodgers
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Guardians bring road slide into matchup against the Mariners
Cleveland Guardians (35-34, third in the AL Central) vs. Seattle Mariners (35-34, second in the AL West) Seattle; Sunday, 4:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Luis Ortiz (3-7, 4.26 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 76 strikeouts); Mariners: Emerson Hancock (2-2, 5.04 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 41 strikeouts) Advertisement BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Mariners -142, Guardians +119; over/under is 7 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Guardians hit the road against the Seattle Mariners looking to break a three-game road slide. Seattle has gone 18-17 at home and 35-34 overall. The Mariners have the ninth-ranked team batting average in the AL at .244. Cleveland has gone 16-19 on the road and 35-34 overall. The Guardians have gone 12-7 in games when they hit two or more home runs. The teams match up Sunday for the third time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Cal Raleigh leads the Mariners with 26 home runs while slugging .622. Rowdy Tellez is 7 for 32 with three home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games. Advertisement Steven Kwan has 14 doubles, six home runs and 23 RBIs while hitting .302 for the Guardians. Jose Ramirez is 12 for 37 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Mariners: 3-7, .286 batting average, 4.86 ERA, outscored by 12 runs Guardians: 3-7, .227 batting average, 3.37 ERA, outscored by three runs INJURIES: Mariners: Bryce Miller: 15-Day IL (elbow), Collin Snider: 15-Day IL (forearm), Luke Raley: 10-Day IL (side), Gregory Santos: 60-Day IL (knee), Logan Gilbert: 15-Day IL (forearm), Victor Robles: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Bliss: 60-Day IL (biceps) Guardians: Andrew Walters: 60-Day IL (lat), Ben Lively: 60-Day IL (forearm), Will Brennan: 10-Day IL (forearm), Paul Sewald: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Erik Sabrowski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Trevor Stephan: 60-Day IL (elbow), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sam Hentges: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Travelers Championship 2025 field: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy both in signature finale
For the first time since March's Arnold Palmer Invitational, the top two players in the world will be in the same signature-event field. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, Nos. 1 and 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking, respectively, will be competing in the Travelers Championship. Scheffler is the defending champion, having defeated Tom Kim in a playoff following a climate protest during the final hole of regulation. Advertisement McIlroy and Scheffler both struggled over two rounds of the U.S. Open at Oakmont but survived the cut. The eighth and final signature event of the PGA Tour season doesn't have a 36-hole cut, offering all in the 72-player field a full 72 holes of competition. Here's the initial field in Cromwell, Connecticut:
