Chris Paddack the latest Twins starter to get shelled as Astros roll in series opener, 10-3

Phil Miller, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 13, 2025

Published in Baseball

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HOUSTON — Twins pitchers frequently credit each other for providing good examples they try to emulate on the mound.

So does it work both ways?

Maybe so, given the shocking meltdown the starting rotation has suffered this week. On Friday, Chris Paddack, who had lowered his ERA in 12 consecutive games, followed the example of Simeon Woods Richardson and Bailey Ober by enduring one of the worst pitching performances of his career.

Paddack, who had given up only seven runs over the past month, eclipsed that total in just four brutal innings, dooming the Twins to a 10-3 loss to the Astros in their series opener at Daikin Park. The Twins have given up 44 runs in their past four games, the worst foursome of games since they surrendered 48 runs in late May 2017.

And perhaps the worst news of all: Royce Lewis, who smacked a solo home run in the sixth inning, only his second of the season, left the game with a Twins trainer and manager Rocco Baldelli in the ninth inning after running out a single. The Twins had no immediate news on Lewis’ condition.

The thrashing was so bad, it even claimed reliever Danny Coulombe’s year-long streak of scoreless pitching. Summoned to mop up the eighth inning, Coulombe walked Mauricio Dubón, then gave up back-to-back singles to Brendon Rodgers and Jeremy Peña, the latter scoring Dubón. It was the first run the left-hander had given up in 22 appearances this year, and 31 consecutive games overall, a run of 27 1/3 innings that dates back to May 26, 2024.

Stilll, it was Paddack who suffered the most startling fall. Four pitches into his start, the tall right-hander, a proud Texan who said he loves pitching in his home state, faced a second-and-third jam with nobody out. He walked the bases loaded with one out, but struck out Jake Meyers to give himself a chance to escape unscathed. But Cam Smith spoiled that plan by looping a single into center field, scoring two, and Jacob Melton followed with an RBI hit of his own.

In one inning, Paddack had given up four hits and three runs — figures that equaled or surpassed his totals in seven of his past 11 starts. And after the second inning, in which Jose Altuve doubled home two more runs, the damage was worse than in 10 of his last 11 starts.

Somehow, the third inning got worse — Myers led off with a double, Smith singled and Melton drove them both home with a triple to the deepest part of the park. He came home on a sacrifice fly, and the Twins trailed 8-0.

Altuve capped the punishment with a home run into the Crawford boxes in left field on Paddack’s first pitch of the fourth inning.

Altuve’s quick at-bat was a theme for the Astros against Paddack. The starter faced 24 batters, and 12 of them put Paddack’s first or second pitch into play, which is why even with all the messiness, he threw only 85 pitches.

The Twins were quieted all night by Astros left-hander Colton Gordon, who gave up only solo homers to Lewis and Willi Castro in six innings. Ty France added a ninth-inning homer off former Twins left-hander Steven Okert.