Houston pounds Twins in both games of day-night doubleheader

The trouble began Wednesday night, when the Twins' patience during a rain delay wasn't rewarded, a game in which they led by five runs was wiped from existence and a day-night doubleheader with Houston went on the books for Thursday.

The storms not only washed out the game, but the Twins' momentum went along with it. The Astros went to town on both Twins starters in the doubleheader and continued their assault on the relief corps.

By the end of the night, the Twins had lost 15-7 and 10-2, and they ended up dropping three of the four games in the series. And lefthanders Buddy Boshers (elbow) and Tommy Milone (shoulder) are headed for magnetic resonance imaging exams Friday.

"It goes back about 22 hours," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You had to deal with [Wednesday night] and you tried to turn the page, but it did not turn out particularly well.

"Long day. Frustrating."

In the regularly scheduled afternoon game, prospect Jose Berrios teed up pitches and was knocked out in the third inning. Milone was the emergency starter in the second game and proved to be no match for a locked-in Astros team before his shoulder forced him off the mound after three innings.

Houston's George Springer was 5-for-8 in the doubleheader with five runs scored and six RBI. Carlos Correa was 4-for-8 in the doubleheader with a home run in each game.

After the Twins led 5-0 against Houston ace Dallas Keuchel in third inning Wednesday before the rain came, the Astros led 6-0 and 5-0 by the third inning of the games Thursday.

Brian Dozier was asked if it was time to curse Mother Nature for washing out a game they led.

"I never curse Mother Nature," Dozier said, "but, if you're looking at it like that, it is kind of frustrating. We got up 5-0, and then all of sudden it's 6-0 in the same inning for them. I don't like it, but I don't make up the rules."

The Twins needed Berrios to get the day off to a good start, but in two-plus innings he gave up five runs on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

"It's about as poorly as you can draw it up," Molitor said. "You're looking for that outing that gives you the opportunity to protect the rest of your staff the best that you can, and it is not going to always happen. Especially when you got a young kid out there. He's trying hard, probably trying a little too hard."

The Astros then scored six runs off Boshers in the fifth inning before he landed on the disabled list. When Taylor Rogers gave up three runs in the ninth, infielder Eduardo Escobar replaced him and gave up a hit but got the final three outs. Escobar topped out at 90 miles per hour on the radar gun and received a standing ovation as he left the field.

"It's a little bit of comic relief on not a very good day," Molitor said.

Escobar said it was the first time he had pitched in a game since he was in the minor leagues with the White Sox organization.

"I told him he should throw his slider more," righthander Ervin Santana said. "He said, 'I tried, but the umpire called it a ball.' I said, 'Now you know what we go through.' "

The announced crowd for Game 1 was 25,960. For Game 2, it was 24,935, but the actual crowd was only a fraction of that as concession stands were shut down and most upper deck sections were empty.

Houston scored four runs in the second, three coming on an Evan Gattis homer. A Correa homer in the third made it 5-0. In came lefthander Andrew Albers to make his first big-league appearance since May 1, 2015, when he was with Toronto. Springer hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Houston added two more in the fifth to lead 9-0.

Albers had to stay in the game to save the bullpen. He pitched six innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on 11 hits and one walk with five strikeouts. His 108 pitches tied a Twins record for most in relief. Oscar Munoz first did it on Aug. 21, 1995, in relief of Scott Klingenbeck.

"I'm grateful that Albers was here," Molitor said. "What he did you can't underscore."

It was about the only thing the Twins could feel good about at the end of a long day at the ballpark.