Twins come up just short after furious rally, lose 13-12 to Astros

Jose Miranda hit a ground ball through the right side of the infield in the seventh inning Friday, rounded first base and he received a standing ovation from the Target Field crowd.

Imagine the reaction if the Twins pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history.

Miranda became the first Twins player in team history to record a hit in 10 consecutive plate appearances, a streak that stretches across three games. He homered in the third inning and hit an RBI double in the fifth, but he wasn’t even in the lineup anymore when the Twins produced their biggest rally in a 13-12 loss to the Houston Astros.

The Twins trailed by eight runs in the ninth inning. Pinch hitter Austin Martin replaced Miranda because of the lopsided score, manager Rocco Baldelli said, and Martin started the comeback bid with a one-out single. Six straight batters reached base with two outs. When Astros closer Josh Hader was forced into the game, Carlos Correa greeted him with a grand slam.

Hader struck out Manuel Margot to secure the one-run victory.

“It was probably one of the most fun games in the season so far,” Correa said. “I know we didn’t get the win, but still two great ballclubs going at it, playing good baseball. It’s a joy to watch. If you’re a baseball fan, you have to love games like that. Long at-bats. Both offenses putting good at-bats together inning after inning.”

It was the first time the Twins played the Astros at Target Field since they lost Game 4 of the American League Division Series, and it felt like they lost complete control. Twins starter Pablo López, who surrendered eight hits and six runs in five innings, lost the lead in the sixth inning.

The Twins gave up 10 runs over the final four innings, which included a dropped fly ball error from left fielder Manuel Margot.

There was some tension after the Twins hit three batters, including Jose Altuve, who took a 94-mph sinker to his left wrist and immediately exited. An X-ray showed no fracture. César Salazar had some words for Twins lefty Kody Funderburk after he was plunked in the ninth inning, and Alex Bregman followed with a three-run homer to the second deck in left field.

“We’re one more swing away from tying the game, which is kind of unbelievable,” Baldelli said.

BOXSCORE: Houston 13, Twins 12

Miranda’s seventh-inning single made him the 14th major leaguer to record a hit in 10 consecutive at-bats since 1961, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He compiled those 10 hits against seven different pitchers.

He hooked a game-tying homer just inside the left-field foul pole in the third inning, pulling an inside changeup 414 feet down the line. It was the first homer Astros pitcher Shawn Dubin had given up in 27 innings this year.

“Whenever you hold a record, it’s pretty cool,” Miranda said.

The Twins scored in each inning Miranda had an at-bat, and then scored seven runs in the ninth.

“As a pitcher, it made me feel like, gosh, if I would’ve prevented a couple more runs ... because the offense absolutely did every thing they could to make something happen,” López said. “I mean, 12 runs are a lot of runs.”

Altuve stole two runs from the Twins in the second inning after Correa lofted a fly ball into medium-depth right field. Altuve chased the ball from his former double play partner, running about 13 steps before making an over-the-shoulder basket catch while sliding near the right-field line.

“I’m going to punch [Altuve] tomorrow when I see him,” Correa joked. “I said, ‘What’s going on?’ He’s like, ‘I’m sorry, I have to make the play.’ ”

In the eighth inning, Astros right fielder Joey Loperfido leaped for a catch against the right field wall with a runner on base. The ball popped out of his glove, and he caught it with his bare hand while falling to the ground. The catch stumped the umpiring crew, which immediately conferred afterward and ruled it wasn’t a catch.

A replay review ensued when both outcomes of the review would’ve resulted in an out.

“That’s one of the catches of the year. It’s got to be, right?” Correa said. “I mean, the way he climbed up that wall, hit the glove, stay with it, caught it barehanded. That was very impressive. He even gave a headache to the umpires, so you know how crazy that play was.”