Minnesota Twins come out ready to play in game 2

After falling 6-4 in game 1, the Twins sent their ace, Pablo Lopez to the mound for game 2 and the bats came ready to fight for him. Carlos Correa is the hottest hitter in baseball, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, given he’s one of the best playoff hitters in MLB history. He went 3 for 3 tonight, including two doubles, a walk and 3 huge RBI.

Carlos Correa gives Minnesota the lead in Houston! pic.twitter.com/IHA2KQHnjL

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 9, 2023

Carlos Correa passes Derek Jeter and David Ortiz to move into a tie for third all-time on the playoff RBIs list with 63! pic.twitter.com/YSpKrRuOoH

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 9, 2023

Correa wasn’t the only offensive hero on the night. Kyle Farmer started his first game of the postseason and rewarded Rocco Baldelli & Co with a 2-run homer and Eddie Julien entered the game in the 6th as a pinch hitter and delivered with an RBI single.

When the dust settled on game 2, the Twins turned the table on the ALDS with a 6-2 road victory vs the defending World Series champs. The Twins’ bats, which have been shaky with runners in scoring position so far during the postseason, were ready.

Related: ALDS: How to watch the Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros – Game 2

Pablo Lopez lights out again

But the story of game 3 was Twins starting pitcher, Pablo Lopez, who has now pitched 12.2 innings of 1-run postseason baseball in 2023. They say pitcher wins do not matter anymore in baseball. But in the playoffs, I can promise you, they do.

Because Lopez is 2-0 in the 2023 postseason and, if he can notch another one or two before it’s all over, it’ll be those wins that cement him into Minnesota Twins lore as one of the greatest to ever take the mound. Oh, he’s also just 27 years old and under a fresh new contract that will keep him in Minneapolis through 2027.

Pablo López, Filthy 90mph Changeup. 👌

7th K…and 7 Scoreless Innings. pic.twitter.com/fGcblKtPgW

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 9, 2023

Related: ALDS: How to watch the Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros

Game 3 will be back at the weapon that is Target Field and the Twins will surely have the pitching matchup advantage, as they send Cy Young candidate, Sonny Gray, to the hill. He started game 2 of the AL Wildcard vs the Toronto Blue Jays, tossing 5 scoreless innings in the Twins win.

If Minnesota can pull out a game 3 victory, they’ll have a chance to clinch the series at home in game 4, before ever having to get on a plane and head south back to Houston.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Related: ALDS: Twins Name Bailey Ober as Game 1 Starter vs Astros

Twins strand runners early, Astros take advantage

Jose Altuve hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 1st inning, but that wasn’t the story early on. Yes, the Astros got out to an early lead that they added onto twice, including two runs in the 3rd and two more in the 5th.

But it was the Twins going 0-for-5 with RISP vs Houston starter, Justin Verlander, that lead to Houston’s early lead. Minnesota had runners on 1st and 2nd with less than two outs in the top of the 1st and 2nd innings, only to hit into 6-4-3 double plays both times.

Yordan Alvarez made it 3-0 in the 3rd, launching a missile into the right field stands [Hint:That wouldn’t be the last time]. Then, in the 5th, the Astros tacked on 2 more runs the old fashioned way, with back-to-back RBI singles from Jose Abreu and Chas McCormick.

Middle middle? He don't miss. pic.twitter.com/qlkZDAZ730

— Houston Astros (@astros) October 7, 2023

Minnesota Twins muster up some 7th inning magic

Heading into the 7th inning, the Minnesota Twins trailed the Houston Astros 5-0. Things can happen fast in baseball, however, and that’s exactly what we saw in game 1, as soon as Justin Verlander was lifted from the contest (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 93 P).

Related: How to watch Minnesota Twins Playoff Games in 2023

In the 7th, the Twins got their first two runners on (Wallner – HBP, Jeffers – 1B), before both Willi Castro (PH for Michael A. Taylor) and Eddie Julien struck out swinging. But just when you thought the Twins were going to leave 2 more runners in scoring positions, Jorge Polanco did this… before Royce Lewis did that.

We believe these are back-to-back jacks! 🎣🎣🎣🎣#WeBelieveinTC pic.twitter.com/GrghrQ9yoS

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 7, 2023

Yordan Alvarez stops Houston’s bleeding

The Twins failed to add anymore in that 7th inning, however, even after Max Kepler hit a check-swing double, and it would come back to bit them.

Remember that dude I mentioned earlier, Yordan Alvarez, and how he wasn’t done launching homers into the deep bleachers at Minute Maid Park. Yeah, his 2nd one was a solo shot that stopped the bleeding for Houston in the bottom of the 7th.

Lefty to face Yordan? When will they learn. pic.twitter.com/8tENnEC4Gg

— Houston Astros (@astros) October 7, 2023

Twins go away quietly

Unfortunately, the Twins’ 4-run 7th inning magic was all they could muster on Saturday night. Carlos Correa, who went 2/4 on the evening, lead off the 8th inning with a rope down the 3rd base line (he went 2/4 on the night) that he limped out for an easy double, but that would be Minnesota’s final hit of the night. The Astros got 6-straight outs and the game ended in non-dramatic 6-4 fashion.

Houston takes a 1-0 lead in the AL Divisional Series. Game 2 is Sunday at 7:03 PM. Take a look at the starting pitching matchup HERE. If the Twins had won this game, it would have put the Astros on the ropes, given who they have on the mound tomorrow.

Had Minnesota failed to fight back at all, I’d be very concerned with how the rest of this series will go. Instead, I expect them to punch back in a big way in game 2, with plenty of runs for their ace.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Bailey Ober named Minnesota Twins starter for game 1

Until Friday, it was a mystery as to who would take the mound as Twins starter for game 1. That changed when Bailey Ober sat down in front of reporters this afternoon and officially announced himself as the guy for Saturday. He told reporters that he only found out 20-30 minutes before he talked to them.

Official: Game 1 starter Bailey Ober. pic.twitter.com/z6Zf694LPs

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) October 6, 2023

Who are the expected starters for ALDS Twins vs Astros?

The expected starters for the ALDS between the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros are as follows:

Related: Target Field Crowd Noise “a Weapon” that Made Pickoff Play Possible vs Blue Jays

The Houston Astros hit a lot of home runs and they do not strike out very often. On paper, that poses a problem for Joe Ryan, seeing as his 32 home runs allowed in 2023 was the 7th-most of any pitcher in Major League Baseball and he relies heavily on strikeouts, when at his best.

Bailey Ober, who threw just 20 innings less than Ryan this season, actually throws harder and allowed 10 less homers than his curly-haired teammate. Ryan allows more line drives and less fly balls. Plus, it’s Ober who allowed less exit velocity, a smaller hard-hit %, a smaller HR % and fared better in BA, OPS against and BAbip.

Justin Verlander to start for Astros

Houston received a bye in the American League Wildcard round, after an incredible MLB regular season finale saw them move up from the AL’s #6 seed, at the start of the day, to the #2 seed, when it ended. The Astros will start 40-year-old postseason legend, Justin Verlander (2023: 162 IP, 3.22 ERA, 1.133 WHIP).

Why didn’t the Twins choose Pablo Lopez or Joe Ryan?

The easiest option for Minnesota would have been to run Joe Ryan, the officially named starter for a Wildcard game 3 vs Toronto that wasn’t necessary. Pablo Lopez would have barely had 4 days of rest between his first pitch on Tuesday and the scheduled first pitch for Saturday’s game 1. Tossing him would’ve been risky.

But Lopez was so good vs Toronto that the urge to start him in game 1, again, had to have been nearly unbearable. Joe Ryan, on the other hand, has been very average, since throwing a complete game shutout back in June. In reality, he got every opportunity to prove he was the guy, and couldn’t close the deal. Thus, Ober gets the ball this weekend.

Related: How to watch Minnesota Twins Playoff Games in 2023

Yes, Joe had a good run in the Olympics a couple of years ago but those empty arenas can’t hold a candle to what the atmosphere will be like at Minute Maid Park this weekend. Ober going on Friday will slot Pablo Lopez in for Saturday afternoon, before the Twins come back with Sonny Gray in game 3, back at Target Field. If needed, Joe Ryan would go in game 4. Divisional Series rosters are due on Saturday morning by 10 AM CDT.

Read all of our Minnesota Twins playoff coverage

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan