Valdez pitches 7 solid innings, Alvarez scores twice in Astros’ 5-2 win over Twins

HOUSTON (AP) — Framber Valdez pitched a no-hitter in the seventh inning and Yordan Alvarez hit two of Houston’s four home runs in the Astros’ 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

Valdez (4-3) didn’t allow a hit until a single to start the seventh. He gave up the two hits and one run with four strikeouts in seven innings.

“I felt good from the beginning with my presentations,” Valdez said in Spanish through a translator. “They were doing what I wanted them to do and I was able to throw them to hit where I wanted them to.”

Alvarez hit a two-run homer off Joe Ryan (4-4) in the first and his solo shot off the starter in the fifth made it 5-0. It was Alvarez’s third multi-homer game of the season and the 18th of his career.

“I felt like the Yordan that people are used to,” Alvarez said in Spanish through a translator.

Struggling first baseman José Abreu hit his first home run and second extra base hit of the season in the second inning. Kyle Tucker added a homer in the third to give him 19 this season, which ranks second in the majors behind Aaron Judge’s 20.

Houston led 5-2 with one out in the ninth when Jake Meyers hit a wall jumper in center field to rob Byron Buxton of a home run. Closer Josh Hader raised both arms in the air after the catch and Buxton, another center fielder, raised his helmet toward Meyers.

Hader then struck out Willi Castro to get his eighth save.

Valdez cruised through the first six innings. He walked Manuel Margot to start the fourth and threw for Kyle Farmer to open the sixth, but faced the minimum thanks to double plays in both innings.

Valdez got help from his defense for the first takedown of the third. Tucker made a jump catch just before crashing into the right field wall on a fly ball hit by Farmer.

The Twins got their first hit when Margot singled on a grounder to center field to start the seventh. Margot moved to second on a wild pitch with one out before scoring on a two-out single by Jose Miranda that cut the lead to 5-1.

An RBI single by Carlos Correa brought the Twins to within 5-2 with two outs in the eighth.

“When you’re held down like that for six games, it takes a lot to come back and win… (but) we continued to play hard,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said.

Tucker scored first before Alvarez’s leadoff homer made it 2-0.

There were two outs in the second when Abreu’s shot made it 3-0. Abreu, who is hitting .119, was playing his fourth game in the majors after spending nearly a month in the minors working on his swing after a terrible start to the season.

“I think it’s very important to understand where I am and where I need to be,” he said in Spanish through a translator. “The results were not there these first 3-4 matches. But believe me, I’m confident that I can get to the point where I can help this team, help this organization win games.

Tucker’s home run to right center was matched with one out in the third to make it 4-0. There were two outs in the fifth when Alvarez connected again.

Ryan had eight hits, including four homers and five runs – season highs – in five innings.

FOLLOWING

Minnesota RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (2-0, 2.70 ERA), a native of suburban Houston, was scheduled to face RHP Hunter Brown (1-5, 6.39) at the end of the series on Sunday.

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