Astros beat Twins 2-1 May 19

The Houston Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on May 19 at Target Field, ending the game with a bullpen hold after Minnesota scored once in the eighth. Isaac Paredes drove in both Houston runs with a home run, and Jason Alexander gave the Astros six scoreless innings in a spot start. Bryan Abreu finished the ninth for his third save. MLB’s game pages listed Houston with five hits and Minnesota with eight, but the Twins stranded nine runners. ### Where did the two Houston runs come from? Isaac Paredes accounted for all of Houston’s scoring with a two-run homer off Twins starter Zebby Matthews. MLB’s game story identified Paredes’ home run as the play that put the Astros ahead 2-0, and the league’s game wrap listed him as the player of the game with two RBIs. Yordan Alvarez was part of an early Astros chance as Houston tried to build pressure against Matthews. (mlb.com) The game finished as a low-scoring matchup, though, with Houston managing only five hits and leaving three runners on base. ### How did Jason Alexander keep Minnesota off the board? Jason Alexander earned the win after throwing 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out four, according to MLB’s official game wrap. (mlb.com) MLB’s highlight page said Alexander was starting after opening the season in the bullpen and noted it was his first win since Aug. 21, 2025. (mlb.com) Zebby Matthews also worked six innings for Minnesota, but the two runs charged to him were enough to decide the result. MLB’s box and wrap pages listed Matthews as the losing pitcher, dropping him to 1-1 despite six strikeouts. ### When did the Twins make it close? Josh Bell cut the lead to 2-1 in the eighth inning with an RBI single, MLB’s game story showed. (mlb.com) The same page said Bell collected three hits, giving him back-to-back three-hit games for the third time in his career and the first time since 2024. Minnesota out-hit Houston 8-5, but the Twins did not score until the eighth and left nine men on base. (mlb.com) Baseball-Reference listed the game time at 2:17 and the attendance at 13,557. ### Which relievers closed it out for Houston? Bryan Abreu got the final three outs for his third save, preserving the one-run lead in the ninth. MLB’s game story marked Abreu’s save as the final result of the game. (mlb.com) Houston’s relief group protected Alexander’s start after the Twins finally broke through in the eighth. MLB’s official video and highlight pages framed the finish around the Astros’ bullpen holding the line after Minnesota’s late push. (mlb.com) ### Where could fans see the game details afterward? MLB posted the official box score, game story and video highlights for the May 19 game on its Gameday and Film Room pages. (mlb.com) A YouTube highlight package titled “Astros vs. Twins Game Highlights (5/19/26)” was also available on MLB’s channel, and Baseball-Reference published the full box score and play-by-play archive. (mlb.com) The Astros and Twins were scheduled to continue the series in Minneapolis on May 20, with MLB carrying the next game’s probable pitchers, lineups and live tracking on its Gameday page. (mlb.com) (youtube.com)