Why this Houston Texans narrative just doesn’t make sense

Pablo López pitched seven strong innings and Trevor Larnach hit a two-run homer to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night.

Carlos Santana added a solo homer and Willi Castro tripled to help the Twins earn their fourth victory in five games.

López (5-5) allowed six hits and one run with six strikeouts to tie his longest start of the season.

Alex Bregman went deep in the third inning for his third homer in four games, but the Astros couldn’t do much else on offense in their fourth loss in five games.

Castro’s triple opened the third before Jose Miranda walked. There was one out in the inning when Carlos Correa’s double to right field scored Castro to make the score 1-0. Miranda scored on an Alex Kirilloff sacrifice fly to put Minnesota up 2-0.

Bregman cut the lead to 1 when he sent Lopez’s first pitch of the fourth inning from the foul pole into left field.

Castro walked with no outs in the fifth before Larnach made it 4-1 with his shot to left center off Ronel Blanco (5-1) with one out.

Max Kepler was hit by a pitch in the top of the sixth and moved to third on a Ryan Jeffers double. Kepler scored on a Manuel Margot groundout to extend the lead to 5-1.

Santana’s home run off Alex Speas made it 6-1 in the eighth.

Blanco, who threw one hit in his season debut, allowed three hits and four runs while walking three in 4 2/3 innings for his first loss.

TRAINERS ROOM

Twins: 3B Royce Lewis (severe quadriceps strain) went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in his fifth rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul on Friday. Manager Rocco Baldelli did not say when he expected him to be removed from the injured list, but said it would not be this weekend.

Astros: RHP Luis Garcia (Tommy John surgery) threw 20 pitches during a live batting practice session Friday. Garcia will head to Houston’s spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., next week to conduct a few more live batting practice sessions before beginning a minor league rehab assignment.

UP NEXT Houston LHP Framber Valdez (3-3, 4.34 ERA) faces Joe Ryan (4-3, 2.96) when the series continues Saturday.