2022 Series Poll: Minnesota Twins @ Houston Astros

Quick Notes

For the second time in a week the Astros will face off against an AL Central team fighting for their division crown. The Twins are in a slightly better position than the White Sox were last week, but only by one game as they remain two back from Cleveland. There should be a little more urgency for the Central teams so far as the division goes, as it looks increasingly likely that the AL Wild Card spots are going to be split between the East and Seattle in 2022.

The Twins, like the rest of their division rivals, have not really been playing inspired baseball ball recently. While they had been in control of the division for a majority of the season, Minnesota has been mediocre at best since the ASB, which allowed Cleveland to capture the division lead thanks to a hot streak. Now they’ll need to run a gauntlet to end the season that includes this series against the Astros, one against the Yankees, and five more series against both the White Sox or Guardians.

The uninspired play hasn’t been the only issue with the Twins, especially in light of the news that star CF Byron Buxton may be headed to the IL after managing to avoid the pine so far this season. Buxton is joined by Luis Arraez as probably the two best bats in the lineup across the entire season, so losing him at the point would be devastating. Of course I don’t want to make it sound like the rest of the lineup is awful. Jose Miranda has been on a hot streak, slugging .583 in his last 6 games. Nick Gordon is right behind him thanks to his 3 doubles, and Gio Urshela is sporting an .809 OPS during that time as well.

However, I’m sure most of the talk will center the return of Carlos Correa, which is understandable. Correa probably isn’t quite the biggest offensive threat in this lineup when you look at his numbers across the entire season, but he has been a slightly above-average player this season and should be treated with according respect.

As for the Twins’ bullpen, you can probably expect to see Jorge Lopez, Jhoan Duran, and Michael Fulmer make the majority of high leverage relief appearance for Minnesota this week. Lopez seems to have taken over the closer role wince the Twins brought him over from Baltimore at the deadline, having appeared in 5 opportunities since joining the team and converting 3 of them. Jorge Lopez has seen closing duties this season as well, so I would tab him as the backup if needed.

As for the rotation, honestly this series is going to feel more like we’re facing a museum of almost-aces. The Astros can expect to see Aaron Sanchez, Dylan Bundy, and Chris Archer on the bump this week. Archer has the best ERA at 4.02 and has had a decent month of August, though he has yet to log more than 5.0 IP in a game this season.

Offensive Stats: YTD, Last 7 Days

Pitching Stats: YTD, Last 7 Days

Last 10 Games: 5-5 Record, 1 Series Sweep, 2 Series Loss, +7 Run Differential (32 scored, 25 allowed)

W/L Splits: 35-28 at home, 27-30 on the road, 30-35 against teams over .500

Injured List: Byron Buxton: day-to-day (hip), Tyler Mahle: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Kyle Garlick: 10-Day IL (ribcage), Miguel Sano: 60-Day IL (knee), Alex Kirilloff: 10-Day IL (wrist), Bailey Ober: 60-Day IL (groin), Danny Coulombe: 60-Day IL (hip), Ryan Jeffers: 10-Day IL (thumb), Trevor Larnach: 10-Day IL (core), Cody Stashak: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Royce Lewis: 60-Day IL (knee), Chris Paddack: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jhon Romero: 60-Day IL (biceps), Jorge Alcala: 60-Day IL (elbow), Randy Dobnak: 60-Day IL (finger), Kenta Maeda: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Starters

Game 1: Aaron Sanchez (RHP, 3-3, 7.68 ERA, 24 K’s) vs Justin Verlander (RHP, 15-3, 1.95 ERA, 138 K’s)

Game 2: Dylan Bundy (RHP, 7-5, 4.60 ERA ERA, 77 K’s) vs Framber Valdez (LHP, 12-4, 2.72 ERA, 134 K’s)

Game 3: Chris Archer (RHP, 2-6, 4.02 ERA, 76 K’s) vs Luis Garcia (RHP, 10-8, 4.09 ERA, 127 K’s)

For Your Viewing and Listening Pleasure

Game 1: Tuesday, August 23rd @ 7:10 pm CDT
Listen: Twins - Bally Sports North / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Twins - Bally Sports North / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Game 2: Wednesday, August 24th @ 7:10 pm CDT
Listen: Twins - TIBN / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Twins - Bally Sports North / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW

Game 3: Thursday, August 25th @ 7:10 pm CDT
Listen: Twins - TIBN / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010
Watch: Twins - Bally Sports North / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / MLB Network (out-of-market only)