ALDS News - MinnesotaSportsFan

Minnesota Twins Playoff Lineup vs Houston Astros: ALDS (Gm 4)

Eric Strack — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 22:20:18 +0000

The Minnesota Twins play the Houston Astros on Wednesday at 6:07 p.m., in game 4 of the American League Divisional Series. Joe Ryan will take the mound vs Jose Urquidy. Lineups should drop sometime before noon.

It’s do-or-die for the Twins, who fell behind 2-1 after a 9-1 whallopping in front of the home Target Field crowd. Joe Ryan has not been very consistent, recently, but the playoffs are a different animal. We’ll find out if Joe has that killer postseason instinct tonight.

After going a combined 0-for-17 in the Twins first 5 postseason games, Alex Kirilloff and Matt Wallner have both been benched. Astros starter, Jose Urquidy, has reverse splits (better vs lefties than righties) so switching those lefties out, in favor of righties, Donovan Solano and Michael A. Taylor, gives Rocco an even better reason to sit both struggling youngsters.

Minnesota Twins Playoff Lineup – ALDS (Gm 4):

Edouard Julien (DH)
Jorge Polanco (2B)
Royce Lewis (3B)
Max Kepler (RF)
Carlos Correa (SS)
Ryan Jeffers (C)
Willi Castro (LF
Donovan Solano (1B)
Michael A. Taylor (CF)

SP: Joe Ryan (161.2 IP, 4.51 ERA, 1.17 WHIP)

Houston Astros Playoff Lineup – ALDS (Gm 4)

Jose Altuve (2B)
Alex Bregman (3B)
Yordan Alvarez (DH)
Kyle Tucker (RF)
Jose Abreu (1B)
Michael Brantley (LF)
Chas McCormick (CF)
Jeremy Pena (SS)
Martin Maldonado (C)

SP: Jose Urquidy (63.0 IP, 5.290ERA, 1.43 WHIP)

Platoon lineups have worked out well for Twins manager, Rocco Baldelli, through four 2023 postseason games. Willi Castro, Kyle Farmer and Donovan Solano all got their first starts of the postseason in game 2, vs lefty Framber Valdez, and Carlos Correa moved up to the clean-up spot.

Correa went 3-for-3, with 3 RBI, and Farmer hit a 2 run homer. Castro and Solano both collected hits of their own and scored runs. See both teams’ individual 2023 playoff statistics below. But some of the younger lefties, like Alex Kirilloff and Matt Wallner are shrinking under the bright lights of the postseason.

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Twins AL Divisional Series Roster + 2023 Playoff stats:

The Minnesota Twins ALDS roster looks almost identical to what it did in the ALWC, except (SP) Bailey Ober, who started game 1, replacing (RP) Cody Funderburk, who didn’t get an inning in the Wildcard round. Byron Buxton was left off the roster again, as he continues to rehab his bad knee.

#	Pitchers	Country	Positions	Age	Bats	Throws	G	IP	ERA	WHIP	WPA	cWPA	HITS	R	ER	SO	BB	FIP
49	Pablo López	VEN	SP	27	L	R	2	12.2	0.71	1.110	0.434	3.68%	11	1	1	10	3	2.62
54	Sonny Gray	USA	SP	33	R	R	2	9.0	4.00	1.78	-0.018	-2.41%	13	5	4	12	3	4.48
17	Bailey Ober	USA	SP	28	R	R	2	4.1	12.46	2.08	-0.159	-1.40%	8	6	6	4	1	14.79
41	Joe Ryan	USA	SP	27	R	R
61	Brock Stewart	USA	RP	31	L	R	2	2.0	9.00	1.000	0.067	0.34%	1	2	2	3	1	8.26
56	Caleb Thielbar	USA	RP	36	R	L	2	1.2	0.00	0.600	0.20	1.10%	1	0	0	0	0
59	Jhoan Duran	DOM	CL	25	R	R	3	3.0	0.00	0.67	0.171	1.05%	1	0	0	5	1	0.92
22	Griffin Jax	USA	SU	28	R	R	3	2.2	0.00	0.38	0.152	0.85%	1	0	0	3	0	1.01
37	Louie Varland	USA	RP	25	L	R	2	0.2	0.00	3.000	0.00	0.03%	2	0	0	1	0
18	Kenta Maeda	JAP	RP	35	R	R	2	4.0	6.75	2.25	-0.052	-0.50%	6	3	3	4	3	3.51
20	Chris Paddack	USA	RP	27	R	R	1	1.1	0.00	0.000	0.03	0.22%	0	0	0	2	0
15	Emilio Pagán	USA	RP	32	L	R	1	2.0	0.00	0.50	0.046	0.55%	0	0	0	1	1	3.76
#	Fielders	Country	Position	Age	Bats	Throws	G	AB	BA	OPS	WPA	cWPA	HITS	BB	HR	RBI	R	SO
26	Max Kepler	GER	RF	30	L	L	5	19	.263	.668	0.004	-0.08%	5	1	0	0	1	8
11	Jorge Polanco	DOM	IF	29	S	R	5	17	.235	.793	0.015	0.41%	4	4	1	3	2	7
38	Matt Wallner	USA	LF/RF	25	L	R	4	8	.000	.333	-0.123	-1.02%	0	3	0	0	1	5
2	Michael A. Taylor	USA	CF	32	R	R	4	11	.182	.432	-0.114	-0.88%	2	0	0	0	1	4
23	Royce Lewis	USA	3B/DH	24	R	R	5	19	.211	1.002	-0.070	-1.98%	4	3	3	4	5	7
27	Ryan Jeffers	USA	C	26	R	R	5	16	.125	.425	-0.210	-1.83%	2	2	0	0	1	6
50	Willi Castro	PR	UT	26	S	R	5	12	.250	.607	-0.086	-0.27%	3	2	0	1	1	4
19	Alex Kirilloff	USA	1B/LF/RF	25	L	L	5	9	.000	.182	-0.182	-1.69%	0	2	0	0	0	4
4	Carlos Correa	PR	SS	28	R	R	5	19	.474	1.155	0.315	2.52%	9	1	0	4	1	4
47	Edouard Julien	CAN	2B/DH	24	L	R	5	14	.214	.675	0.042	0.71%	3	4	0	1	1	7
39	Donovan Solano	COL	1B/DH	35	R	R	4	7	.143	.543	0.031	-0.06%	1	3	0	0	1	1
8	Christian Vázquez	PR	C	32	R	R
45	Andrew Stevenson	USA	OF	29	L	L	1	0	.000	0.000			0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Kyle Farmer	USA	IF	32	R	R	3	4	.250	1.250	0.109	1.15%	1	0	1	2	1	2

Baseball-Reference.com

Houston Astros AL Divisional Series Roster:

#	Pitchers	Country	Positions	Age	Bats	Throws	G	IP	ERA	WHIP	WPA	cWPA	H	R	ER	SO	BB	FIP
53	Cristian Javier	DOM	SP	26	R	R	1	5.0	0.00	1.20	0.187	2.52%	1	0	0	9	5	3.26
68	J.P. France	USA	SP	28	R	R
58	Hunter Brown	USA	RP	24	R	R	2	2.0	4.50	1.50	0.004	0.05%	2	1	1	2	1	2.76
50	Hector Neris	DOM	RP	34	R	R	1	0.2	54.00	4.500	-0.20	-1.76%	3	4	4	2	0
59	Framber Valdez	DOM	SP	29	R	L	1	4.1	10.38	2.31	-0.253	-2.58%	7	5	5	5	3	6.03
35	Justin Verlander	USA	SP	40	R	R	1	6.0	0.00	1.167	0.27	2.40%	4	0	0	6	3
65	José Urquidy	MEX	RP	28	R	R
88	Phil Maton	USA	RP	30	R	R	2	1.2	0.00	0.60	0.042	0.49%	0	0	0	2	1	2.66
47	Rafael Montero	DOM	RP	32	R	R	2	2.2	0.00	0.75	0.002	0.02%	1	0	0	5	1	1.76
55	Ryan Pressly	USA	CL	34	R	R	1	1.0	0.00	0.000	0.08	0.66%	0	0	0	2	0
52	Bryan Abreu	DOM	RP	26	R	R	2	2.1	0.00	0.86	0.118	1.14%	2	0	0	5	0	-1.03
45	Ryne Stanek	USA	RP	32	R	R	1	1.1	6.75	1.500	-0.002	-0.02%	2	1	1	0	0	3.26
#	Fielders	Country	Positions	Age	Bats	Throws	G	AB	BA	OPS	WPA	cWPA	HITS	BB	HR	RBI	R	SO
14	Mauricio Dubón	HON	UT	28	R	R	2	5	.400	.800	-0.003	0.04%	2	0	0	0	0	1
30	Kyle Tucker	USA	RF	26	L	R	3	10	.200	.685	0.036	0.59%	2	3	0	1	2	3
27	Jose Altuve	VEN	2B	33	R	R	3	13	.308	846	0.080	0.73%	4	0	1	1	2	2
15	Martín Maldonado	PR	C	36	R	R	3	9	.222	.522	-0.135	-1.33%	2	1	0	0	0	2
79	José Abreu	CUBA	1B	36	R	R	3	12	.250	.1.058	0.069	1.10%	3	1	2	6	2	2
23	Michael Brantley	USA	LF	36	L	L	2	7	.286	.661	0.00	-0.06%	2	1	0	0	0	2
21	Yainer Diaz	DOM	C	24	R	R	2	6	.000	.000	-0.042	-0.57%	0	0	0	0	0	4
44	Yordan Alvarez	CUBA	DH	26	L	R	3	12	.500	2.205	0.345	3.54%	6	1	4	6	6	3
2	Alex Bregman	USA	3B	29	R	R	3	11	.273	.930	-0.078	-0.80%	3	1	1	2	4	5
3	Jeremy Peña	DOM	SS	25	R	R	3	12	.333	.801	0.054	0.58%	4	1	0	0	1	1
6	Jake Meyers	USA	CF	27	R	L
16	Grae Kessinger	USA	IF	25	R	R
20	Chas McCormick	USA	OF	28	R	L	3	8	.250	.500	-0.07	-0.68%	2	0	0	1	0	2
28	Jon Singleton	USA	1B	31	L	L

Baseball-Reference.com

Byron Buxton Added to Twins ALDS Roster as Injury Replacement for Alex Kirilloff

Eric Strack — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 19:49:51 +0000

The Minnesota Twins have made a rather stunning announcement Wednesday afternoon, just hours before they are set to do battle with the Houston Astros in an ALDS elimination game 4.

Byron Buxton has been added to the Division Series roster as an injury replacement for Alex Kirilloff, who went 0-for-9 with 4 strikeouts in the 2023 MLB Postseason. The nearly 30-year-old oft-injured Buxton has not appeared in a Major League Baseball game since August 1.

BREAKING: Byron Buxton has been added to the #MNTwins playoff roster. He’s an injury replacement for Alex Kirilloff.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) October 11, 2023

Buck has suffered through a variety of injuries throughout his professional career, including broken/sprained fingers (2014 – AZ Fall Lg) and thumbs (2015 – MLB), a broken hand (MLB – 2021), fractured toe (2018 – Rehab Assn), torn labrum (2018 – MLB), a concussion (2014 – AA) and recurring migraines (2018 – MLB).

But his most recent injury has been diagnosed and reported as patellar tendinitis, which is a product of the arthroscopic knee surgery he had in the offseason. Even with his vast variety of injury issues, his knee problems have arisen as the biggest threat to Buxton’s MLB career.

Byron Buxton on Twins roster, NOT in starting lineup

The Twins’ starting lineup for game 4 has already dropped and Buxton is not in it. But, there is a very real possibility we see him up at the plate tonight, at some point, if given an opportunity to spark some magic.

First pitch is at 6:07 p.m. CT. Get all the details on how to watch here: ALDS: How to watch the Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros – Game 4

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Disguised Kirk Cousins Spotted at Twins vs Astros Sitting Amongst Common Fans Yet Again

Eric Strack — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 22:45:10 +0000

Don’t tell Mike Florio (PFT) but Kirk Cousins has been spotted, yet again, in a 100 section of a Minnesota Twins playoff game. As is well known, Tuesday in the Cousins’ household is spent with family and for the 2nd straight week they’ve chosen to spend part of family day enjoying a postseason baseball game at Target Field.

Kirk is one section over from me. Seated with the common folk again. Man of the people! #Vikings pic.twitter.com/7jhz5M1F4P
— Nicole (@SuperSonnek26) October 10, 2023

Kirk Cousins is a man of the people

Kirk isn’t the only local sports star or celebrity at the game today. For example, Johan Santana threw out the first pitch and sat in a suite with Joe Mauer in a luxury suite, one of many at the Twins’ home stadium. Same with a few Minnesota Wild players.

But not Kirk Cousins. Just like last week, Kirk put on his Kent Clark disguise and sat down with the common fans, where he’d be able to feel the atmosphere best.

Mike Florio is so mad right now…

When Kirk spent part of last week’s family day at Target Field, it should surprise nobody that there were cynics who questioned his investment in being great. One of those critics was Mike Florio, of Pro Football Talk, who called Cousins out, saying “do you think Patrick Mahomes is spending his Tuesday at a baseball game?

Do you want to be great?

Do you? If so, what are you willing to do to be great? What are you willing to sacrifice to be great? Are you willing to work every single day to be great? Because others who aspire to be great are doing exactly that.

More specifically, are you willing to pass on going to a baseball game five days before facing Patrick Mahomes in a game that will result in your team being either 1-4 or 2-3?

Cousins has every right to take the day off. Do you think Mahomes did? Do you think any of the great ones do?
Mike Florio – Pro Football Talk

This is a Kirk Cousins appreciation post

With the Minnesota Vikings now 1-4, I can only imagine the hair Florio is pulling out of his head tonight. But Kirk isn’t going to let a mad Mike ruin his night out at the ballgame with his wife and boys. And frick it, with the common fan like you and me.

This Viking season looks like it is going nowhere fast and that could mean Kirk Cousins is on his way out. Even if that is the case, I have grown a new appreciation for this man, in his time as our QB1, especially in the last few years. Too bad he couldn’t bring any luck to the Twins, who look like they’ll be down 1-2 going into game 4.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Royce Lewis Back at 3rd Base for Twins vs Astros (Gm 3)

Eric Strack — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 16:15:42 +0000

The Minnesota Twins will play in game 3 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday, vs the Houston Astros, with the best-of-five set tied 1-1. At this point, the momentum is on the side of the Twins. Minnesota has the pitching advantage in game 3 and Carlos Correa playing on their team.

Royce Lewis moving back to 3rd base

And on Tuesday morning, they got even more good news. AL Wildcard MVP, Royce Lewis, who has been stuck at designated hitter for the Twins’ first four postseason games thanks to a bad hamstring, is moving back to 3rd base for game 3 this afternoon.

Just wrapped midday news hit with Derek Falvey on @KSTP from the field. Royce Lewis back at 3B today, he’s feeling good. Willi Castro starts in CF, they want an extra lefty bat vs. Christian Javier. His left/right splits stick out. #MNTwins #WeBelieveinTC pic.twitter.com/oX7VcpinDL
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) October 10, 2023

On Monday, manager Rocco Baldelli hinted at Lewis’ move back to 3rd base when asked about his young superstar’s hamstring entering game 3. Rocco seemed optimistic at the prospect, and didn’t rule out Royce’s glove being in the Twins’ game plan as soon as game 3, though that might be a bit too hopeful.

“Yeah, there’s a chance [Royce Lewis] is gonna play third base this week. I don’t know if it’s gonna be tomorrow, though. We still have have to figure some things out on the medical side and have some conversations. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.

He does look significantly better than he did seven days ago, you know, about a week ago. That’s great news for us. I mean, enough so, we’re we’re watching him go first to third. We put a safety squeeze on, with him on third base, and you know, there’s different things that he’s capable of right now.

He can help us on the bases, now. Before, you know, at the beginning of this playoff schedule, he probably wasn’t gonna be helping us too much on the bases. He was just gonna kind of, like I said, cruising speed. He’s improving so we’ll take that.”

Lewis mimicked his manager, in the Twins clubhouse while talking to reporters, telling Darren Wolfson (KSTP) that his hamstring is feeling better and better. He talked about the baserunning he did in game 2 and got a huge smile on his face when he heard that Rocco gave him a possible green light to play defense, at some point in this series.

Some of my conversation with #MNTwins DH/3B Royce Lewis today. For his fantasy team sake tonight (and mine), go Davante Adams! #WeBelieveinTC pic.twitter.com/XmT3Deq2Q2
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) October 10, 2023

How much does it make you feel good that Rocco isn’t ruling out you playing third base in this series?

“Yeah, I just explained to [Rocco Baldelli] that I feel a lot better, just running from 1st to 3rd a couple times, testing it out. It’s the playoffs. I’m not turning off my brain, in terms of trying to get us into a good position to score. If I’m hurting, I’m going to try and get there no matter what, either way. But, [my hamstring] felt way better.”

“That’s really cool. That’s nice of him to say. Get’s me excited, but you know, like I’ve told people in the past, whatever Rocco decides, ultimately, I have the most faith in him, so I’ll I’ll trust that decision and I just keep working and putting, you know, my best foot forward so that he can make good decisions.”

Moving Royce Lewis from DH to 3B, in the starting lineup, is a huge deal for the Minnesota Twins defense. With Lewis out, Rocco has played Eddie Julien at 2B and Jorge Polanco at 3B. Julien has been better at 2nd this postseason, than he was in the regular season, but he’s far from their best option there.

Polanco, on the other hand, has noticeably struggled at 3rd base. He’s only been credited with one error but he’s had at least two other balls that were very gettable, find their way through, including this one, which allowed for one of the best defensive plays in Twins postseason history by Carlos Correa.

Carlos Correa recovers it and gets the Twins out of the inning! pic.twitter.com/zLHMqDPxXE
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 3, 2023

But what Jorge Polanco lacks at 3rd base, he excels at 2B, going from a defensive liability to a defensive gold glove. And Royce Lewis has looked very above average at the hot corner all 2nd half of the season.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Twins

Twins Win Game 2: Pablo Lopez Lights Out vs Astros; ALDS Tied 1-1 Going to Minnesota

Eric Strack — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 03:19:13 +0000

If you expected the Minnesota Twins to fold up shop and drop game 2 of the American League Division Series vs the Houston Astros on Sunday night then you haven’t realized how different this team is, compared to what we have gotten used to as a fanbase.

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.

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

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

Minnesota Twins Fight Back but Fall Short in Game 1 Loss vs Houston Astros

Eric Strack — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 00:10:15 +0000

The Minnesota Twins played in their first American League Divisional Series since 2004, on Saturday, in what started out as an Astros blowout, but quickly turned into somewhat of a game 1 barn burner.

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).

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.

Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

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

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

Eric Strack — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 19:40:58 +0000

The Minnesota Twins won their first playoff series in 21 years on Wednesday evening and now find themselves staring up at the defending World Series champion and nearly decade-long MLB dynasty, the Houston Astros.

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:

Gm 1 – Oct. 7 (3:45 pm): Bailey Ober vs Justin Verlander

Gm 2 – Oct. 8 (7:03 pm): Pablo Lopez vs Framber Valdez

Gm 3 – Oct. 10 (3:07 pm): Sonny Gray vs TBD

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.

2023 Opponents	BA	OPS	BAbip	HR%	AVG EV	HardH%	LD%	GB%	FB%
Joe Ryan	.248	.742	.305	4.8%	89.6 MPH	41.7%	23.0%	32.2%	34.7%
Bailey Ober	.232	.682	.276	3.8%	87.7 MPH	35.7%	20.8%	33.9%	35.2%

Baseball-Reference.com

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.

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

Bad Defense and Weird Calls to the Bullpen Lead to Twins Demise in Game 1

Eric Strack — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 03:24:33 +0000

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Tonight’s game in Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series couldn’t have started much better. Jorge Polanco hit a 1st inning homerun and Berrios held the Yankees to 0 runs through 2 innings. Nelson Cruz hit another solo shot in the 3rd, making it 2-0 good guys, entering the bottom half of that inning. But, that’s where things went sour.

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We told you it was #BombaSZN.

? ? pic.twitter.com/687zP6KLOg
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 4, 2019

Boomstick. Bat drop. ??#CruzControl | BombaSZN pic.twitter.com/2oyZLSbhDq
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 5, 2019

THE YANKEES TAKE A 3-2 LEAD AFTER CRON CAN’T HANDLE THE BAT THROW LETS GOOOOOOOOOO #NextManUp #PinstripePride pic.twitter.com/8xOFySwCoo
— Matt H. (@MattHanifan_) October 5, 2019

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The Twins came back to tie the game at 3 and the bats looked ready to hang in there, early. Unfortunately, it took them 30 minutes between at-bats because our bullpen was too busy walking guys and then giving up big hits, while those hitters we need ran around the field on defense.

I put a lot of this loss on the shoulders of that defense because it was Cron missing the backend of that double play above, and a hobbled Arraez not being able to make it to a pop-fly that same inning, that got the Yankees going.

But the freshman manager, Rocco Baldelli deserves plenty of the blame too. Berrios struggled to get his slurve over for a strike in the first few innings and it got him into trouble. After giving up 3 runs in the 3rd however, a different Jose Berrios took the mound in the 4th inning, mowing down the side with only 12 totaling him at 88 on the night. But, Rocco Baldelli chose to bring in…… Zach Littell…… to replace him for the 5th. A walk + hit batter later, Littell was replaced by Tyler Duffey.

Duffey saved the inning and kept the Twins in the game but Baldelli’s calls to the bullpen didn’t get anymore normal after that.

The score was 5-4 when this game entered the bottom of the 6th. So naturally, Rocco Baldelli called on a guy he’s trusted all season (lol), Cody Stashak… Yeah, he brought in Cody fucking Stashak to pitch the 6th inning of a 1-run ALDS game. He (shockingly) gave up 2 more. This team hasn’t played in 4 days and the entire bullpen is fresh as fuck… but you call Stashak in that situation? Oh yeah, then (in slightly less frustrating fashion) Gibson came in to nibble his way to 3 walks and two outs before he gave up a bases-clearing triple.

Just like that, it was 10-4 and the game was all but over.

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Machine from the leadoff spot.
Gardy from the 3-hole. #NextManUp pic.twitter.com/Qr7FnMsLSe
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 5, 2019

The Machine Uprising. #NextManUp pic.twitter.com/ugSShVAToc
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 5, 2019

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This was a terrible playoff debut for Rocco Baldelli and there is plenty to question… but there is still plenty of hope, too. We weren’t sure what we were going to have for starting pitching when we came into this series so there aren’t additional worries after we wasted Berrios’ start. As I’ve bitched about for much of this blog, we didn’t use any of our key relievers, either. This 2019 Twins team has already proven they won’t be phased by losses and I expect them to look a lot better on Saturday, and for the rest of the series. We are far from out of this thing.

Still, tonight wasn’t the start we were looking for.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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