Zebby Matthews recorded his seventh quality start of the season while Josh Bell slugged a two-run homer in the sixth inning, the third of three long balls for the visiting Minnesota Twins, who held on for a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday.
Matthews (4-5) matched his career high by logging seven innings and equaled his season high of seven strikeouts. He worked seven innings for the fourth time in nine starts this season and the third time this month. He tossed 89 pitches, 59 for strikes, while permitting one run on four hits and one walk.
Cam Smith homered twice for the Astros, who went deep twice the ninth inning to climb within a run. Houston had won five of its previous six games, while Minnesota prevailed for the third time in four games.
Matthews surrendered his lone run with one out in the fifth when Smith crushed a 1-0 slider 408 feet to left field, slicing the Twins’ two-run lead in half.
Astros right-hander Peter Lambert (6-5) matched zeros with Matthews through three innings before the Twins flipped on the power switch with two outs in the fourth.
Royce Lewis broke the scoreless tie with a 375-foot shot to left. Lewis homered against a 1-2 changeup. One batter later, Victor Caratini pounced on a 2-2 slider and sent the offering 426 feet to straightaway center for a 2-0 lead.
The Twins responded to the Astros’ solo tally in the fifth when Brooks Lee reached on a leadoff single in the sixth before Bell crushed a 1-1 fastball from Lambert into the seats behind the home bullpen in right-center. Bell’s blast covered 413 feet and extended the Twins’ lead to 4-1.
Lambert yielded four runs on five hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four.
The Twins padded their advantage on an RBI groundout from Kody Clemens in the seventh inning.
Taylor Trammell slugged a two-run homer off Twins reliever Travis Adams with two outs in the ninth. Smith added his second homer of the game one batter later off Yoendrys Gomez, who then retired Loperfido on a grounder to second for the final out. Gomez was credited with his ninth save.
