For once, the Astros had been in unfamiliar territory, with home-field advantage flipped in the AL Division Series as they faced the prospect of a motivated and hungry Target Field crowd.
They’re in a much more familiar situation now, having emphatically neutralized that crowd with their blowout, 9-1 Game 3 victory, putting themselves on the cusp of a seventh consecutive appearance in the AL Championship Series. The goal hasn’t changed, as Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez said.
“No different than when we traveled here,” he said. “We want to finish the series in Minnesota and not go back home to play Game 5. That’s been our focus.”
But the Twins will get one more crack at it in front of that home crowd behind 2022 Opening Day starter Joe Ryan against a less effective ‘23 version of Houston right-hander José Urquidy — and that’s where they’ll stake their hopes as they face elimination for the first time this postseason. Urquidy does have extensive postseason experience with three World Series wins under his belt.
“That’s the benefit of a five-game series — you give yourself room to lose two games,” Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “You don’t want to lose two games, but that’s there. We have another game at home. I know our fans will be out in force. Then hopefully we can go back to Houston on Friday.”
The Twins have already shrugged off the weight of history this postseason by snapping their 18-game postseason losing streak and winning a playoff series for the first time in 21 years; what’s a little more pressure?
When is the game and how can I watch it?
The game is live and being televised in the U.S. on FS1.
All series are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games are available live internationally (except in Canada). Full game archives will be available approximately 90 minutes after the game ends.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Astros: Jose Urquidy
Urquidy was limited during the regular season due to a three-month stint on the IL with a right shoulder injury, but he made up for lost time with one of his best outings in his very last appearance. Making a last-minute spot start in Arizona on Sept. 29, the right-hander threw six scoreless innings to contribute to a key sweep of the D-backs. Urquidy has played in the Astros’ past four postseasons, and he’s compiled a 3.72 ERA (15 ER in 36 1/3 innings) over 12 games, cumulatively.
Twins: Joe Ryan
What version of Ryan will show up for the Twins on Wednesday? Will it be the onetime All-Star hopeful who pitched to a 2.98 ERA through his first 15 starts before a groin injury derailed his effectiveness? Will it be the somewhat diminished version that posted a 3.82 ERA in six non-Coors Field starts following his return from that injury?
Through all that chaos, Ryan still came inches shy of a 200-strikeout season (he finished with 197) and if there’s anything he’ll need to find from that first half, it’s the ability that allowed only two homers in a 10-start span from late April to mid-June.
What are the starting lineups?
Astros: Mauricio Dubón started in center field in Game 3, but Chas McCormick was back in center in Game 4. Michael Brantley was the designated hitter in Game 3, but he got the nod in left, with Yordan Alvarez slotting in as the DH.
Twins: The Twins have a fairly consistent group against right-handed pitchers, but Urquidy has notably been a fairly pronounced reverse-splits performer his entire career — and that made for a different look at some of the Twins’ platoon spots, especially since two of those tandem bats (Alex Kirilloff and Matt Wallner) have been among the Twins’ worst-performing at the plate this postseason, and Minnesota’s right-handed platoon bats showed up big time against Framber Valdez in Game 2. Donovan Solano got the start at first over Kirilloff, and Edouard Julien was the DH with Royce Lewis playing third base for the second straight game.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Astros: Despite blowing out the Twins in Game 3, the Astros still used both Bryan Abreu and Phil Maton for an inning. Abreu threw only 12 pitches and Maton threw 15, so they should be ready for Game 4. Closer Ryan Pressly and setup man Hector Neris will also be fresh. If Urquidy doesn’t go deep into the game, starter J.P. France is available to provide length.
Twins: All hands on deck with the Twins facing elimination. Minnesota did everything it could to avoid using its leverage bullpen arms to finish Game 3, asking for bridge innings from Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober to keep everyone fresh. Expect an aggressive hook for Ryan at the first sign of trouble, with Louie Varland, Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar and Jhoan Duran all primed to pitch earlier than one would otherwise expect.
Astros: Relief pitcher Kendall Graveman is battling right shoulder discomfort and isn’t on the ALDS roster.
Who’s hot, who’s not?
Astros: Alvarez is 6-for-12 with four homers, six RBIs and 20 total bases in the first three games of the ALDS. José Abreu, who hits behind him, had a huge September and has kept it up in the playoffs, with two homers and five RBIs. Altuve (4-for-13) and Peña (4-for-12) continue to hit, but McCormick is 2-for-8 and should return to the lineup in Game 4.
Twins: Correa leads the Twins with nine postseason hits and was one of only three Twins to muster a hit off Cristian Javier and company in Game 3. With Correa’s huge three-hit, three-RBI performance in Game 2, he tied David Justice for the third-most RBIs in postseason history (63), with Manny Ramirez (78) next on the list.
Though the left-handed-hitting side of the Twins’ platoon is stronger on paper, they haven’t shown it in practice this postseason. Wallner is 0-for-8 with three walks and Kirilloff is 0-for-9 with two walks in games against the Blue Jays and Astros.
