Josh Bell Homers Twice, Twins Beat Astros 6-3 After Rain

The Minnesota Twins pulled off a win over the Houston Astros on Monday night. Josh Bell powered the offense, homering twice and driving in four runs.

A rain and lightning delay—nearly two hours—paused the game in the bottom of the fifth. Minnesota led 3-0 at that point, and Bell kept things rolling after the break, helping push the Twins to a 6-3 victory.

Kendry Rojas made his first career start for Minnesota. He delivered four solid innings before turning things over to the bullpen.

The Twins’ relievers locked things down late. Houston activated shortstop Jeremy Peña for his first plate appearance since April 11, but Jose Altuve stayed on the injured list with an oblique strain.

Looking ahead, Lance McCullers Jr. is lined up to start for Houston. Minnesota will hand the ball to Zebby Matthews for his second straight start after a dominant debut.

Josh Bell’s power night lifts the Twins past Houston

The Twins got on the board early when Bell opened the scoring with a second-inning homer. That set the tone for a night where he’d launch two long balls.

Bell struck again in the fourth, crushing a two-run shot off Astros starter Tatsuya Imai. That marked the 12th time in his 11-year career he’s had a multi-homer game.

After the long rain delay, Bell stayed locked in. He punched an RBI single in the sixth, giving him four RBIs for the night and stretching Minnesota’s lead.

Bell’s night by the numbers

• Two homers and four RBIs to pace the Twins’ offense
• Second-inning solo homer; fourth-inning two-run shot off Imai
• Sixth-inning RBI single for his fourth run
• 12th career multi-homer game in 11 seasons

Kendry Rojas stifles the Astros in his first start

Kendry Rojas, making his first career start, gave Minnesota four innings of solid work. He allowed just two hits and struck out three.

He ran into trouble right away, loading the bases to open the game. Somehow, he escaped with an infield fly and a double play—Houston came up empty.

Eric Orze came in next and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Taylor Rogers finished things off, getting the final two outs for his first save of the season.

Pitching notes and bullpen breakdown

• Rojas four innings, two hits, three strikeouts
• Sealed early trouble and minimized damage with quick, disruptive plays
• Orze 1 1/3 scoreless
• Rogers two outs for the save

Astros’ lineup reshuffles with Peña’s return and Altuve’s absence

Houston activated Jeremy Peña and put him right back in the lineup. He walked in his first plate appearance since April 11, looking pretty sharp after his right hamstring strain.

The Astros are still without Jose Altuve, who’s out with an oblique strain. That’s a big hole in their lineup and makes things tricky as they try to find consistency.

Peña’s return should help at the top of the order, but the Astros need more from the rest of the lineup to cover for Altuve being out.

Injury updates and lineup implications

• Jeremy Peña returned. He led off with a walk in his first plate appearance since April 11.
• Jose Altuve landed on the injured list with an oblique strain.
• Houston plans to start Lance McCullers Jr. next in the rotation.

Looking ahead: pitching matchups and schedule notes

After Monday’s win, the Twins will hand the ball to Zebby Matthews for his second start. He tossed seven scoreless innings in his debut, so there’s some quiet optimism around what he might do next.

The Astros are counting on McCullers Jr. to anchor the rotation and help patch things together with so many injuries. Things could get interesting as both teams try to keep up with lineup changes, bullpen juggling, and the constant struggle to score runs these days.

That game had it all—almost two hours of delay and a Josh Bell power show. The Twins leaned on timely hits, solid starting pitching, and a bullpen that slammed the door when it counted.

Bell’s presence at the plate feels like a game-changer. With Rojas eating up innings and the bullpen stepping up, Minnesota has a shot to keep this balanced approach rolling as the season moves forward.

 
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