Mauricio Dubón's Walk-Off Single Lifts Astros Over Twins 2-1, Sweep 3-Game Series
Victor Caratini tied it with a sacrifice fly in the ninth, and Mauricio Dubón hit a walk-off single in the 10th on Sunday to help the Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 2–1 to sweep the three-game series.
Jake Meyers started at second base in the 10th and scored on Dubón's two-out single to left field. Astros starter Brandon Walter gave up a run on six hits with nine strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings. Shawn Dubin, Bennett Sousa, and Josh Hader (4–0) combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Walter has allowed three earned runs across 17 2/3 innings in three starts this season. Minnesota's Brooks Lee led off the third inning with a home run. Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch to lead off the seventh, but Caratini grounded into a 4–6–3 double play before Meyers grounded out. Cole Sands (3–3) took the loss.
Key moment: Jeremy Peña drew a leadoff walk in the ninth and stole second. Peña moved to third when Altuve singled and then scored on Caratini's sacrifice fly off Jhoan Duran to make it 1–1 and force extra innings.
Key stat: The Astros, who beat the Twins 3–2 on Cam Smith's walk-off single in the ninth on Saturday, have won five in a row and 16 of their last 22 to take a five-game lead over second-place Seattle in the AL West.
Up next: Houston's Lance McCullers Jr. (1–2, 4.91 ERA) takes the mound Monday to open a four-game series with the Athletics, who have not announced a starter. Minnesota is off until Tuesday when David Festa (1–1, 4.76) is scheduled to start against Cincinnati's Andrew Abbott (6–1, 1.87) to open a three-game set.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
16 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Coastal Carolina's Unbeaten Jacob Morrison Comes Back From Tommy John Surgery to Dominate on Mound
Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall likes to say his baseball team's mantra is to stay hungry and humble. Jacob Morrison is his poster boy. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound sophomore is uber-competitive, not to mention unbeaten. That's the hungry part. He also is extremely grateful to be pitching again, let alone at the College World Series. That's the humble part. After undergoing Tommy John surgery following his freshman year and missing the entire 2024 season, the right-hander from Flushing, Michigan, has been nothing short of sensational since February and never better than he was Sunday in the Chanticleers' 6–2 win over Oregon State. The win earned Coastal Carolina, winners of 25 straight, two days off and a spot in the Bracket 1 final Wednesday against Louisville or Oregon State. Win that game, and the Chanticleers are in the best-of-three finals starting Saturday. 'I envisioned dominance,' Morrison said. 'I worked really hard in the offseason. I had the best staff around me to equip me to come back from injury and be this good. It's very fulfilling to be able to play at this high of a level. I do not take it for granted–the ability to even throw the baseball every day. I'm extremely blessed by that.' Morrison (12–0) is tied for third in the nation in wins, fourth with a 2.08 ERA and 104 innings pitched, and tied for fifth with 17 starts. The Chanticleers are 17–1 when Morrison pitches and 16–1 when he starts. He also leads the nation with 10 starts of at least six innings while allowing one or fewer runs. The only player with more such outings in the past five years is Paul Skenes, who did it for LSU during its 2023 national championship run. Morrison had a promising freshman season, going 6–1 with a 6.55 ERA and striking out 68 in 57 2/3 innings. He started a regional elimination game against Duke and couldn't make it out of the second inning in what was his shortest outing of the season. Surgery was next, followed by grueling rehabilitation. Once he was cleared to throw, he was determined to come back better. Against Oregon State, he was on point, locating his mid-90s four-seam fastball, slider, curve, and changeup. He struck out seven and walked none and retired 16 in a row from the third to eighth innings. 'I've always been a big strike thrower,' he said. 'My freshman year I threw a ton of strikes, but I had a hard time keeping the ball out of the middle of the plate. That was a big thing not only in my rehab last year, but even in freshman year development–throwing pitches where I want. I think it's pretty awesome to do that type of stuff.' Morrison grew up in a sports-minded family. His mom, Jennifer, played basketball at Saginaw Valley State, and his dad, Mark, played football at Central Michigan. His sister, Maddie, plays volleyball at Wayne State (Michigan). 'I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do in order to win,' Morrison told the On The Clock podcast. 'I feel like I'm just more competitive than ninety percent of human beings.' Morrison will pitch for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League after the CWS and should hear his name called in the Major League Baseball amateur draft in July. Nothing Morrison has done in his comeback surprises Schnall. 'Well, his freshman year, we could see that this guy was going to be a slam dunk Friday night starter, and unfortunately he had the injury,' Schnall said. 'What you see from Jacob–he's mature, he's a winner, he's extremely competitive. He's hardworking. He's 6-8. He's got a great arm. He's a 3.5-plus student. When you say, 'How do you want your son to be?' this is the ultimate individual.'
Al Arabiya
17 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Christian McCaffrey hopes longer offseason leads to better health in 2025 for 49ers
The biggest beneficiary of an extended offseason for the San Francisco 49ers just might have been star running back Christian McCaffrey. A year after he was limited to just four games because of injuries to his Achilles tendon and knee, the engine of San Francisco's high-powered offense was on the practice field for the offseason program and is hoping to get back to the form that made him AP Offensive Player of the Year during a run to the Super Bowl in the 2023 season. 'A healthy McCaffrey would be a key component for San Francisco to rebound from a 6–11 season that at least provided a side benefit of more time off in the winter following three straight years of long playoff runs. Being fully transparent, obviously last year didn't go the way I wanted,' McCaffrey said. 'It didn't go the way anyone wanted. But having this time off has allowed me to start from scratch and have the time where I can build a base again, come into OTAs, play football and now get back into it mentally, emotionally, physically in all ways. It was much needed and I'm happy we had it.' For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. McCaffrey plans to spend the long break before training camp starts in late July staying in shape and becoming a father. McCaffrey and his wife, model Olivia Culpo, are expecting their first child right around the corner. McCaffrey looked fresh during the offseason program after sitting it out last year as he recovered from a grueling season and waited for a new contract that came last June. McCaffrey had 798 touches from scrimmage in 2023–24 in the regular season and playoffs – more than 100 more than any other player in the league during that span. That workload likely contributed to the Achilles tendinitis that sidelined McCaffrey early in training camp last season and forced him to miss the first eight games of the season. He then injured his posterior cruciate ligament in his fourth game back and missed the final five games of the season. With McCaffrey on the sideline, an offense that was the most dangerous in the league following his arrival midway through the 2022 season took a step back last season as the Niners struggled overall. Coach Kyle Shanahan said he is aware that he needs to manage McCaffrey's workload this summer in order to protect him from himself and make sure he's healthy and fresh when the games count. 'He is a psycho in a good way and so like he does everything imaginable every single day,' Shanahan said. 'Last year he couldn't because he was battling injury all last year. And this year he is healthy so he is right back to being who he is always been and it's really fun to watch.' McCaffrey, who turned 29 earlier this month, said the key as he ages is finding the middle ground of doing the intense work to get ready for a season and making sure he doesn't wear down early. But once he's on the field he knows only one speed. 'My job is to put my body in the best position it can to go out there and be me,' he said. 'There's a lot of noise and sometimes there's a lot of things going on. My job is to go 100 percent every play and continue to get better. I just try to focus on that.'
Al Arabiya
36 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut to return to Coney Island hotdog eating contest after contract dispute
Competitive eater Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut announced Monday he will return to compete in this year's Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest after skipping last year's gastronomic battle for the coveted Mustard Belt. 'This event means the world to me,' Chestnut, 41, said in a message posted on X. 'It's a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life.' It will mark the 20th appearance for the Indiana eater at the Coney Island contest. Last year, Major League Eating event organizer George Shea said Chestnut, who has won the 10-minute eat-a-thon 16 times, would not be participating due to a contract dispute. Chestnut had struck a deal with a competing brand, the plant-based meat company Impossible Foods. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. In a phone interview Monday, the competitive eater made it clear he never appeared in any commercials for the company's vegan hot dogs and that Nathan's is the only hot dog company he has worked with. But Chestnut acknowledged he should have made that more clear with Nathan's. 'There was a little bit of communication that we could have improved on last year,' he said. 'And I… yeah, I think we figured it out. It took a little bit of finessing.' Chestnut is still working with Impossible Foods and said clarifications have been made to his respective contracts. Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating, said he did not want to rehash what happened last year because he found it dispiriting, but said he's happy everything is resolved now. 'I think it's the return of the greatest competitive eater of all time to the biggest competitive eating event of all time. So I don't think it gets much bigger in any sport,' Shea said. 'I mean, this guy is the greatest performer we've ever seen in Coney Island and in competitive eating.' Chestnut said he heard from fans over the past year who wanted him to return to the Coney Island event, which is broadcast live on ESPN and even shown overseas. Last year, he opted to compete against soldiers in Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, in a 5-minute hot dog eating contest. Back in New York, Patrick Bertoletti gobbled up 58 hot dogs to win his first men's title, while defending champion Miki Sudo won her 10th title in the women's division, downing a record 51 links. Chestnut holds the world record of eating 76 hot dogs. 'Over the last year, I ran into a lot of people who said that it wasn't the same without me. And I told many people that I was going to work really hard to make sure I got back there,' Chestnut said. 'And I'm really happy that Nathan's and Major League Eating… we were all able to figure it out.' Chestnut said he's been prepping for the big event and has a couple practice sessions left before the July Fourth holiday. 'My body's in tune right now,' he said, explaining how he has to build tolerance for consuming so many hot dogs and get all those muscles used to working together. He likened the process to a boxer getting in practice rounds before a big fight. Chestnut made it clear his business relationship with Impossible Foods does not mean he has become a vegan, an assumption he said some fans made last year. Chestnut said he was surprised by the 'weird blowback' he received about it, explaining he eats a plant-based diet during his recovery from competitive eating events. 'I love meat. I'm going to continue to eat meat. But when I recover from a contest, I have to eat super clean in order to get my body to try to get back to normal,' he said. 'I can't eat pounds of meat every day.'
