HOUSTON -- The Astros expected Trey Mancini to flourish when he was inserted into a deeper lineup than he had around him with the Orioles -- and in a more hitter-friendly ballpark than he spent most of this season calling home in Baltimore. Three weeks after he was dealt to the Astros, Mancini is well on his way to providing the run production Houston had sought.

Mancini clubbed a three-run homer in the first inning Thursday off Twins starter Chris Archer, which wound up being the difference in Houston’s 6-3 win at Minute Maid Park. The Astros (81-45) swept the season series (6-0) from the Twins, who led after only one of the 54 innings they played against Houston this year.

“I love it,” Mancini said. "It’s an incredible lineup to be a part of. Especially these home games, just the energy in the stadium is incredible. I really love playing here at Minute Maid Park."

Since joining the Astros in a trade with the Orioles, Mancini is slashing .233/.254/.567 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 18 games. In 92 games with the Orioles earlier to start the season, he hit 10 home runs, though he slashed .268/.347/.404. Still, his .821 OPS with Houston is better than the .751 OPS he posted with Baltimore because of the home runs.

"It felt really good," Mancini said. "I tried to be a little more patient that at-bat [in the first inning] and let the pitch come to me, and luckily I put a good swing on it. He threw a pretty good changeup there, but luckily I threw my hands at it and hit it in a good spot."

Mancini turned on a 2-2 changeup from Archer and sent it 361 feet into the Crawford Boxes to give the Astros a 4-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish. And no, it wouldn’t have been a homer at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, with its vast left field.

“I guess the couple of balls I hit in the Crawford Boxes [this month] might not have gone [out] at Camden, but at the same time I don’t know if I have a perfect explanation,” he said when asked about his power surge. "I’ve been working a lot with the hitting coaches on making some adjustments and my teammates have been helping me, too, on things they see. That’s been the name of the game for me."

Mancini struck out in his next three at-bats following the homer, but he left his mark in the first inning.

"That got us a quick three runs,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "That’s why he was batting where he was batting. I was hoping we had some runners on in front of him. That’s why I hit [Christian] Vázquez ahead, because he has been getting base hits, but that was huge."

Mancini has started 15 of 22 games since joining the Astros -- 10 at designated hitter, three at first base and two in left field. Injuries to starting left fielder Michael Brantley and infielder/outfielder Aledmys Díaz have made Mancini’s addition even more important to the Astros, who were also without outfielders Chas McCormick (pinkie) and Kyle Tucker (foot) on Thursday, each dealing with day-to-day injuries.

"I had to figure out how I was going to use him and where he was best in the lineup and best on the field at the same time, but with the injuries that we've had, he’s been DH'ing most of the time, which is his real strong suit," Baker said. "He’s played left a few times, but [Yordan] Alvarez is getting better and better in the outfield. You see the throws he’s made tonight; that was huge. I just needed some time to know where to fit the guys in."

Next for Mancini is a showdown against his former team, the Orioles, who will visit Minute Maid Park for a three-game series beginning Friday. Mancini was beloved in Baltimore for five seasons and had helped the Orioles get back into contention this year before he was traded to the Astros. He remains close with many Baltimore players.

"I’m paying some attention," he said of the Orioles' surprising success this season. "I'm definitely fully focused here, I’d say. I’m proud of them. Before I left, I tried to really help drive the organization forward and drive the team camaraderie forward there and they’ve continued to do that. ... They’re doing a great job, they're playing good baseball and it’s going to be a tough series this weekend."