The Twins fall to the Astros 3-2 on a walk-off single on June 14, 2025. Despite a Brooks Lee homer, Houston's late rally spoils the night for Minnesota.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a classic baseball gut-punch. For eight innings, it felt like the Minnesota Twins had just enough to squeak out a tough road win. But in a painful reminder of how quickly fortunes can turn, a late Houston rally culminated in a walk-off single, handing the Twins a stinging 3-2 loss at Daikin Park and spoiling a promising night from rookie Brooks Lee.
The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning on Brooks Lee's two-run homer... and that was it. The rest of the lineup couldn't push another run across.
The game script felt written for a Twins victory for most of the night. The breakthrough came in the top of the fifth when Brooks Lee launched a two-run homer to left-center, scoring Carlos Correa and giving Minnesota a 2-0 advantage. The dugout was electric, and it seemed like that might be all the support the pitching staff would need. But the offense went silent from there. A key missed opportunity came in the sixth when Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch and immediately stole second, putting a runner in scoring position with less than two outs. The Twins couldn't bring him home, a failure that would come back to haunt them as Houston chipped away and eventually walked it off on Cam Smith's single in the bottom of the ninth.
In a game defined by offensive struggles, rookie Brooks Lee was the undeniable bright spot. His fifth-inning blast was a no-doubter, providing the team's only runs of the night. It was a powerful swing that showcased why the organization is so high on him. While the rest of the team scuffled to put together rallies, Lee's ability to change the game with one swing was on full display. It's a tough pill to swallow when a performance like that gets wasted in a loss, but it's another positive sign of Lee's development into a core piece of this lineup.
This loss underscores a recurring theme: missed opportunities. Leaving Buxton stranded at second after his aggressive baserunning is the kind of mistake good teams can't afford to make. The pressure now mounts on both the lineup to provide more consistent run support and the bullpen to lock down these tight games. Speaking of the bullpen, the team recently added a new arm in lefty Joey Wentz, claimed off waivers from the Pirates. While he's expected to start in low-leverage spots, the move shows the front office is actively seeking depth. They'll need every reliable arm they can get to turn these 2-1 and 3-2 nail-biters into victories.
This one stings, no doubt about it. A 36-33 record feels like a crossroads, and games like this are the ones that separate contenders from the rest of the pack. The Twins have to shake this one off quickly. They'll need more than just a solo act from Brooks Lee to take the series finale tomorrow. The bats need to wake up and support the pitching to prevent these gut-punch losses from becoming a trend.
