Jorge Polanco hits homers twice, Twins beat Astros 7-5

Jorge Polanco homered twice and drove in four runs, Miguel Sanó also hit a home run and the Minnesota Twins beat the Houston Astros 7-5 on Sunday.

Polanco hit a solo home run in the fifth and a three-run shot to right in the sixth to help the Twins build a 7-3 lead. Sanó hit a monstrous two-run homer to left in the fourth.

Trevor Larnach tied it at 1 in the second with an RBI single. Max Kepler had three hits for Minnesota, which won three of four against the Astros.

Kenta Maeda (5-4) allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts in five innings. He won for the first time since July 4.

Alex Colomé pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Lance McCullers Jr. (9-3) allowed four runs on a season-high eight hits with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. He lost for the first time since July 8.

Houston has lost four of its last five games.

Houston’s Taylor Jones had an RBI single in the fourth, and Yordan Álvarez hit an RBI single in the fifth. Aledmys Díaz hit an RBI double in the seventh, and Carlos Correa hit a solo home run in the eighth to cut the lead to two.

Chas McCormick gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the first, scoring on a throwing error by Polanco after Díaz had singled to shallow right field.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: INF Josh Donaldson (right hamstring) was out of a lineup for a second straight game on Sunday. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Donaldson was a little sore and getting treatment as the Twins work through a timeline for when he could return to the lineup. Baldelli was hopeful Donaldson would not need to go on the injured list.

Astros: DH Michael Brantley left the game for precautionary reasons in the third after being struck in the head and shaken up in the first inning on a collision with Andrelton Simmons at second base. Jake Meyers replaced Brantley. … RHP Rafael Montero exited in the eighth with an undisclosed injury. … 3B Alex Bregman (left quadriceps strain) returned to Houston on Sunday to give an update on his rehabilitation, manager Dusty Baker said. “We will talk to him and see what kind of progress he’s making physically and mentally about when we might activate him,” Baker said.

UP NEXT

Twins: Minnesota has yet to announce a starter for the opener of the three-game series at home against the White Sox on Monday.

Astros: After an off day on Monday, RHP Jake Odorizzi (4-6, 4.95 ERA) will start a two-game series against the Rockies on Tuesday. Odorizzi struggled in his last start Wednesday against the Dodgers, getting tagged for six runs in three innings.