Isaac Paredes hit a two-run homer, and that proved to be enough as the Houston Astros held on for a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Jeremy Pena finished 2-for-4 for Houston, which evened its series at one win apiece. The rubber match is set for Wednesday afternoon.
Josh Bell went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Minnesota. Byron Buxton doubled twice.
Astros right-hander Jason Alexander (1-0) allowed four hits in six scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Alexander took the mound in place of scheduled starter Lance McCullers Jr., who was scratched before the game because of right shoulder inflammation.
Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews (1-1) took the loss despite posting a quality start. He allowed two runs on five hits in six innings.
Astros right-hander Bryan Abreu escaped a ninth-inning jam for his third save.
The Astros struck fast to seize a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Pena led off with a single to center field. It marked his first hit since April 11, before a lengthy stint on the injured list because of a hamstring strain.
Moments later, Paredes belted a two-run homer over the wall in left field. It was his fifth home run of the season and his second in the past four games.
The Twins pulled within 2-1 in the eighth. Bell hit a hard ground ball to the right side of the infield, and Astros second baseman Braden Shewmake booted the ball into the outfield to allow Byron Buxton to score from second.
Astros left-hander Bryan King came in from the bullpen and preserved the lead by retiring Austin Martin on a ground ball to shortstop to end the eighth.
In the ninth, King allowed a two-out single to Orlando Arcia, who was called up earlier in the day from Triple-A St. Paul. Abreu entered for King but added a baserunner by hitting Luke Keaschall with a pitch. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch before Buxton fouled out to the third base side.
--Field Level Media