HOUSTON -- The Twins’ 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Astros at Daikin Park on Sunday reflected what has been a scuffling Minnesota offense.
One exception: Brooks Lee, who homered as part of a 3-for-4 day that extended the Major Leagues’ longest active hitting streak to 15 games.
Lee’s third-inning homer accounted for all of the scoring until the Astros tied the game in the ninth and won it in the 10th on Mauricio Dubón’s park-friendly RBI single. With Willi Castro trying to navigate one of Daikin’s unusual crannies in left field, the ball caromed off his glove and into a side wall.
“I think I should have caught the ball,” Castro said.
The Twins’ fourth consecutive loss soured another productive day at the plate for Lee. On Saturday, he hit a two-run homer that barely cleared the left-field fence. On Sunday, he sent a no-doubt rocket to left off Astros starter Brandon Walter.
“I saw the ball really well that first at-bat,” Lee said. “Took a pitch 1-0 that was in, and then my next pitch, I felt comfortable swinging. Was way ahead in the count, and I got a pitch over the heart of the plate that I could do damage on, and I did.”
Drafted eighth overall by the Twins out of Cal Poly in 2022, Lee was called to the Majors last year and slashed .221/.265/.320 in 50 games (172 at-bats).
The switch-hitter has hiked this year’s batting average from .230 to .267 while going 21-for-60 (.350) during his hitting streak.
“I think he’s doing a good job of hunting some pitches and being prepared going into his at-bats,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “And we’ve talked about him last year compared to this year. He’s grown a lot and continues to get better.
“Every week you kind of see him doing different things out there on the field. He’s not just going up there looking for the ball -- see it, hit it and attacking everything. He’s actually going up there with a good plan. Again, an improving player and a guy with good ability, and it’s exciting to watch a young guy make those improvements.”
As a versatile defender, Lee has totaled 55 games this season, seeing action in 28 of them at third base, 20 at second base and 19 at shortstop. Putting together good at-bats from both sides of the plate has merely been the byproduct of much repetition.
Regarding the hitting streak, Lee said: “I just think making sure I get my work in on both sides of the plate every day [is the key]. That’s important. I’ve been taking a ton of swings over that stretch.”
Two of Lee’s three hits Sunday came leading off innings. With runners in scoring position, the Twins could generate nothing. They were 0-for-8 in that situation, including 0-for-3 with the automatic runner in the 10th, and wound up 0-for-15 in the series. Their six runs in the series came on four solo homers and Lee’s two-run shot Saturday.
Castro’s leadoff double in the eighth gave Minnesota its best chance to expand Sunday’s lead. But he was stranded after Ty France’s fielder’s choice comebacker to the mound was followed by Matt Wallner hitting into a double play.
“Feels kind of like we’re swimming upstream a little bit right now,” said Baldelli, whose 36-35 club will begin a three-game series at Cincinnati on Tuesday. “Nothing’s coming too easily for us, but you have to find a way to piece something together and make it work even when it’s not going cleanly and you’re not feeling great and all of those things.”
The Twins struck out nine times in Walter’s 6 2/3 innings and 12 times in the game.
“We’ve gotta piece together good at-bats,” Baldelli said. “I think we expanded in the zone too much today. When we have crooked numbers and things like that, we’re having just very competitive at-bats, dominating the strike zone, laying off pitches out of the zone and hammering stuff in the zone. I think it’s possible we’re trying to do too much, but we’re definitely expanding.”