HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman knows he doesn’t have to do too much in a Houston Astros lineup that also features George Springer Jim Bunning Jersey , Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa.And that, he says, is what has allowed him to put together the best year of his young career.Bregman hit three doubles and Yuli Gurriel homered for the second game in a row, leading Justin Verlander and the Astros over the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.“Just having the guys that I have around me in that lineup allows me to just relax and try to put together a good at-bat,” Bregman said, playing down the fact that he’s leading the team in almost every offensive category.Manager A.J. Hinch had no trouble raving about his 24-year-old third baseman, who’s in just his second full season in the majors.“He’s just locked in,” Hinch said. “When that happens, he leaves very little margin for the pitcher to get him out. And we’re seeing that come pretty regularly for him.”Verlander (14-9) yielded one run and three hits while fanning eight over seven innings.Jorge Polanco homered off reliever Chris Devenski to begin the ninth. After Robbie Grossman walked, Roberto Osuna took over and gave up a single to Tyler Austin with one out. Gurriel then caught Max Kepler’s liner and stepped on first to complete the double play and give Osuna his 13th save.“Obviously, if that ball went through it would have been extra bases,” Gurriel said. “So to be able to make that play was very, very important to win that game.”The Astros got to Trevor May (3-1) immediately when Springer hit a leadoff single and scored on a one-out double by Bregman. Tyler White hit an RBI single with two outs to score Bregman and a short mound visit came next.On the second pitch after the visit, Gurriel sent a ball into the seats in left field for his 10th homer to extend the lead to 4-0.Twins rookie Kohl Stewart, who was born and grew up in Houston, took over for the second inning and pitched well in front of a large group of friends and family sitting behind the visitor’s dugout. He allowed just three hits over five scoreless innings.“Kohl did a really nice job Jim Thome Jersey ,” manager Paul Molitor said. “I was a little concerned about him with all the people he had here at the ballpark, but he made them happy.”Verlander ran into some trouble in the second inning when Grossman singled before Miguel Sano and Kepler drew consecutive walks with one out to load the bases. But Verlander retired Ehire Adrianza before striking out Chris Gimenez to end the threat.Sano was carted off the field in the inning after injuring his surgically repaired left leg sliding into second base. The team said X-rays were negative and he was listed as day-to-day with a bruise on his lower left leg. Sano had a rod inserted in his left leg in November.“He was in a lot of pain,” Molitor said. “It kind of radiated down to the ankle.”Molitor said Sano would be on crutches for a day as a precaution but that he was optimistic that he wouldn’t be out for “too long.”Grossman, who previously played for the Astros, hit an RBI double with two outs in the third that made it 4-1. Verlander started rolling after that, retiring the last 13 batters he faced, with six strikeouts, before Ryan Pressly took over for the eighth inning.Tony Kemp hit a bunt single to start Houston’s seventh and the Astros pushed the lead to 5-1 when Bregman hit his major league-leading 46th double with two outs.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: RHP Charlie Morton (shoulder discomfort) threw a bullpen session before the game. If he feels good in the next couple of days, he’ll come off the disabled list to start against Boston on Saturday. … INF/OF Marwin Gonzalez was out of the lineup after leaving Monday’s game with discomfort in his oblique and is listed as day to day. … RHP Hector Rondon probably won’t pitch for a few days after taking deflecting a line drive off his right hand on Monday.HOMETOWN GUYSStewart became the second pitcher born in Houston to throw five scoreless innings in relief at Minute Maid Park with his performance on Tuesday night. The other player to do it was Matt Albers, who was playing for the Astros when he did it on July 27, 2006.UP NEXTHouston rookie LHP Framber Valdez (2-1, 1.26 ERA) opposes Jake Odorizzi (5-9, 4.41) when the series wraps up on Wednesday night. Valdez allowed just two hits and one run in five innings in his last start but took the loss in a 3-0 defeat by the Angels. Odorizzi looks to get back on track after losing his last two starts. After a long, slow offseason, we catch up with representatives from the other AL Central SBN Sites, today we talk Royals."Believe it or not http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-pat-neshek-jersey , real, actual baseball is right around the corner. The spring games have already started, and Opening Day is just over a month away. After a few months of watching a lukewarm stove, its time to catch up with what’s going on around the division. I sent some questions around to folks from our sister sites in the SB Nation network for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and Cleveland Indians. They were kind enough to answer the questions, and we’ll run one team each day this week. Assume any editing mistakes are mine. And with no further ado, it’s time to pass the microphone to...Kansas City: Max Rieper, Manager, Royals ReviewWhat players and/or storylines should we be watching on your team this spring?The player to keep an eye on with the Royals is Adalberto Mondesi. He has been their top prospect for some time, but initially struggled when he first came up. Last year the club brought him up mid-season and he responded with a fantastic second half, smacking 12 home runs and finishing eighth in baseball in steals with 32. He also brings great defense and was worth 3.2 WAR in essentially half a season. He is really the only player in the organization with elite upside and could be an MVP candidate if it all comes together for him. He fits well into the new team identity of being elite on the basepaths. The Royals could very well have the top three leaders in stolen bases this year between Mondesi, last year’s stolen base champ Whit Merrifield, and new centerfielder Billy Hamilton. And all three might be slower than pinch-runner extraordinaire Terrance Gore, who the club brought back on a Major League deal. Stolen bases have fallen out of fashion Odubel Herrera Jersey , but the Royals are going to try to bring them back.Other storylines will include how the farm system improves, what the Royals do with the #2 overall pick in the draft, and whether Ned Yost decides to retire at the end of the year.What is one more player personnel move you would like to see your team make before spring training ends? I think the team is probably about done, although it never hurts to bring in more pitchers. They have added a few relievers at the outset of camp like Brad Boxberger, Jake Diekman, and Drew Storen. They have two young pitchers battling for the final rotation spot in Jorge Lopez and Heath Fillmyer, but it wouldn’t totally surprise me to see them add another veteran to the mix. There is also the potential that starter Ian Kennedy moves to the bullpen, which could open up another rotation spot.What’s changed over the offseason for your team? What is new and good, what is new and bad, and what is just plain different?The team is coming off a dismal 104-loss season, but they finished strong, winning 20 of their final 34 games, mostly due to playing a younger lineup. So you will see a much younger lineup out there, with Mondesi at shortstop instead of Alcides Escobar, slugger Ryan O’Hearn at first instead of Lucas Duda, Hunter Dozier at third instead of Mike Moustakas Jorge Alfaro Jersey , and either Brett Phillips, Brian Goodwin, or Jorge Bonifacio in right field instead of Jon Jay. While last year they were playing with a lot of “stop gap” players, this year the team will try to sort out which players will actually be part of the next good Royals team.How was last season for you as a fan? What has been the general vibe around your team during the offseason, and how do you feel about the upcoming season?Last year was rough, but not totally unexpected considering how the farm system had hollowed out. Years of poor drafts had left the Royals without any players to replace the core of the team that won a championship. But because of the way the team played down the stretch, relying on younger players, there is a lot more optimism out of the fan base than you might typically see after a 104-loss season. I think Royals fans are just looking for progress, primarily from the younger players, while still realizing that the team will likely be battling the Tigers for the cellar in the Central.Who do you think will win the division, and why?The Indians still look like the team to beat, even if they didn’t have a very impressive off-season. Their pitching is very hard to beat and they seem to do a great job of getting talent from their farm system to replace losses. I think the Twins could make a run at them, but was a bit surprised they didn’t make more of a splash in free agency to supplement the roster. A good off-season could have made them the favorites in my mind.