HOUSTON — The Minnesota Twins are about more than former Astros star shortstop Carlos Correa, who had many memorable postseason moments in a Houston uniform. The Twins can throw to anyone, have power up and down the lineup, and feature one of the hardest closers in the game to throw to. The Astros know the challenges ahead in the American League Division Series.
Astros manager Dusty Baker watched the Twins’ overwhelming victory over the Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card Series and said his team will give it their all against the AL Central Division champions. Three wins over the Twins in their next five games will send the Astros to the AL Championship Series for the seventh straight year — a remarkable success that culminated with World Series wins in 2017 and 2022.
“I don’t think anyone gave them a chance to beat Toronto,” Baker said Thursday. “They’re pitching well, they play good defense, they have a lot of left-handed hitters, and that’s a problem. They have a good manager. I mean, they’re a good team.”
The Astros didn’t need a reminder of that, considering the Twins took four of their six regular season games from Houston. But the two clubs haven’t played each other since May 31, and Minnesota has yet to play Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier — likely the Astros’ top three starters — this year.
“They didn’t see much of the real Astros,” Houston general manager Dana Brown said, before adding: Lois Lewis is really good. Game 1 is a big game. I think you will decide the first race, you will be in the driver’s seat. ”
The Astros are 18-5 in the ALDS, including 6-1 in the opener. All but two of those first games were played at home, with Houston winning Game 1 in Kansas City in 2015 and COVID-19 in 2020. Houston defeated the Athletics in a game played at Dodger Stadium due to the pandemic. Houston will look to regain home-field advantage after falling to 39-42. This is the first team since the 2001 Braves to win the division without losing at home. The Astros are 11-0 in ALDS games at Minute Maid Park since 2017.
“It’s time to redeem ourselves,” Astros outfielder Chas McCormick said. “At the end of the day, we haven’t played that well, but we always love playing here. It’s a good time to win some games here, get some momentum and get an advantage somewhere else. … We definitely have to come because the Twins are going to come here and make a big deal. We have to be focused and ready to be 100 percent.”
With five days off after the end of the regular season, the Astros were able to assemble their pitching staff. Verlander will start Saturday’s first game, and left-hander Valdez will start Sunday. Although it has not been officially announced, Javier is likely to be the starter for Game 3. Houston’s ability to limit the damage against the Twins’ left-handed hitters, including Max Kepler, Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner, and Willi Castro, is particularly important since Valdez may be the only southpaw on Houston’s roster. , would be an important plot point in the series.
Twins pitchers led the major leagues with 1,560 strikeouts, followed by Pablo López with 234. He has faced the Astros only once in his career and is likely to be Minnesota’s Game 2 starter, pitching in Tuesday’s Wild Card Series opener. Sonny Gray, who started in Wednesday’s wild-card game, will likely start Game 3 against Houston, giving the Astros a Game 1 win and Minnesota’s two best pitchers with the ball in their hands. We are given the responsibility to gain the upper hand before doing so. Houston’s batters had the third-fewest strikeouts in the major leagues.
“We’re a hitting team, so when we let them hit early we have to be aggressive and put the ball in play and put a lot of pressure on their defense,” McCormick said.
Saturday will be the Astros’ 93rd playoff game since the start of the 2015 season (the Twins have played eight games in that span). Houston will rely on his experience, Verlander’s arm and a passionate home crowd to begin his journey toward a possible third World Series championship in seven seasons.
“In the postseason, it’s all about execution in every phase of the game,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. “The best team always wins. I hope you’re ready to execute.”
