Astros get to Chris Paddack early, run away from Twins

Jeremy Pena recorded a four-hit game, and Jose Altuve drove in three runs in support of rookie left-hander Colton Gordon, who produced a second consecutive strong start as the Houston Astros claimed a 10-3 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Friday.

Gordon (2-1) notched his second career victory and first quality start by limiting the Twins to two solo home runs over six innings. He allowed six hits, issued one walk and posted five strikeouts.

In his previous start on June 6, Gordon held the Cleveland Guardians to one run over five innings. That marked his first start with fewer than three earned runs allowed following his major league debut on May 14. Against the Twins, he was as effective and at times resourceful.

After facing the minimum through two innings, Gordon escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting Carlos Correa to ground out to conclude the top of the third. Willi Castro smacked a solo home run with two outs in the fourth, a line drive to left field for his seventh homer on the season. With two outs in the sixth, Royce Lewis drilled his second home run to center, a powerful 425-foot blast.

The Astros were comfortably ahead when Lewis struck his blow. Houston jumped on Twins right-hander Chris Paddack (2-6) with immediacy, scoring three times in the bottom of the first.

Pena, who finished 4-for-5, singled and scored along with Yainer Diaz when rookie Cam Smith delivered a two-run, two-out single to center field. Fellow rookie Jacob Melton followed with an RBI single to right that scored Christian Walker and set an ominous tone for Paddack.

Altuve stroked a two-run double in the second that plated Brendan Rodgers and Pena and extended the lead to 5-0. Smith and Melton struck again in the third when Smith followed a leadoff double from Jake Meyers with a single and scored when Melton added a two-run triple.

Melton, who later departed with a right ankle injury, scored on a Mauricio Dubon sacrifice fly that pushed the lead to 8-0. Altuve belted his 10th homer leading off the fourth for a 9-0 advantage. Smith and Melton finished a combined 4-for-6 with five RBIs.

Paddack allowed nine runs (eight earned) on a career-high-tying 12 hits over four innings.

--Field Level Media