Twins take Astros rubber game behind two big hits from Jose Miranda

HOUSTON – Jose Miranda hit a game-tying home run and a game-clinching double Sunday, and in return, the Twins plan to give him an unusual reward: the loss of his job.

Miranda’s heroics helped the Twins cruise past Houston for a 4-3 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park, winning their fourth straight series and admittedly gaining a little satisfaction in beating the team that eliminated them from the playoffs in last October.

The Twins hope their third baseman continues to deliver game-changing hits — but it probably won’t be Miranda very often. Royce Lewis is expected to rejoin the team at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, reclaiming the position that Miranda has held admirably over the past two months.

Miranda appears in little danger of being optioned to the minors — his eight RBIs over the past week are the most on the Twins, and his .280 batting average this season is the highest on the team — but most of his at-bats will come as a designated hitter, pinch hitter, or perhaps first baseman.

Yet Miranda has revived her career after a shoulder injury last year put her in doubt.

On Sunday, with the Twins leading 3-2 in the sixth inning, Miranda launched a 2-2 fastball from Astros starter Hunter Brown well over the Twins bullpen in left center, his sixth homer this season .

Two innings later, Trevor Larnach scored a leadoff lead on a tight pitch from former Twins reliever Ryan Pressly and Ryan Jeffers put pinch runner Manuel Margot in scoring position to give Miranda another big moment. He did so by lining a double over the head of third baseman Alex Bregman, which gave the Twins the lead for good.

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Simeon Woods Richardson, pitching for the first time in a stadium where he often attended games growing up, allowed three runs in 4⅓ innings, all on two home runs. Victor Caratini provided the Astros’ first run, hitting a two-strike changeup against the Houston bullpen to right center while the nationally televised Roku broadcast interviewed Woods Richardson’s parents.

Bregman added a two-run homer into Crawford’s box in left field an inning later to give Houston the lead, temporarily. But five Twins relievers blanked the Astros over the final 4⅔ innings, giving the Twins their ninth victory in 12 games. Steven Okert got the win after retiring Yordan Alvarez with the bases loaded to end the seventh, and Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran followed with perfect innings to end the series.

Trevor Larnach led off the game with a home run for the Twins, and Alex Kirilloff doubled in another run in the second inning.