HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros, the reigning World Series champions, will play the middle game of their three-game series with the Twins today in an afternoon matinee…the Astros will try and even the series behind RHP Luis Garcia, who’s won his last three career starts opposite the Twins… he’ll be opposed by RHP Joe Ryan, who allowed four runs in a 4.0-inning start against the Astros last season.
ABOUT GARCIA:RHP Luis Garcia is making the second start of his fourth MLB season (2020-23) and is coming off a strong 2022 campaign in which he ranked tied for fourth in the AL in wins (15), ninth in opponent average (.222) and 10th in strikeouts per 9.0 (8.98)…he finished his season by winning seven consecutive decisions over his last eight starts.
RUN OF SUCCESS: In addition to capturing the 2022 World Championship, Houston has played in three of the last four and four of the last six World Series, earning two championships along the way (2017, 2022)…the Astros have also advanced to the ALCS an MLB-record six consecutive seasons (2017-22).
AT THE HELM: Astros skipper Dusty Baker is in his 26th season as a manager and his fourth at the helm in Houston…Baker, who ranks ninth all-time in managerial wins with 2,096 wins, has an outside shot of moving up to sixth all time by seasons end…en route, he’d have to surpass Joe McCarthy (8th, 2,125), Bucky Harris (7th, 2,158) and Sparky Anderson (6th 2,194).
IN THE BOX: This season is the first for the Astros under General Manager Dana Brown, who was named the 14th GM in club history in January…this season is also the 12th for the Astros under Owner & Chairman Jim Crane, who purchased the club in November of 2011.
LASTING LEGACY: This series is another reunion with Twins SS Carlos Correa, who spent his first seven Major League seasons (2015-21) with the Astros, prior to joining the Twins prior to the 2022 season…Correa’s name will likely always be tied to the Houston franchise for many reasons, including through his younger brother IF J.C. Correa, who’s currently a utility player for the Astros Double A affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks.
SEASON SWEEP: The Astros swept the Twins in 2022, winning all six of their games, including three games in Minnesota…the Twins were one of three teams the Astros swept the season series from in 2022, also the Tigers (7-0) and Mets (4-0).
YESTERDAY’S DECISION: The Astros lost yesterday’s series opener to the Twins by a score of 3-2 in 10 innings on an RBI single by Twins 2B Kyle Farmer…2B Mauricio Dubón (2×4, RBI) had a strong game for the Astros and was the temporary hero after he singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th… on the day, the Astros offense was held in check by RHP Sonny Gray (1ER/7IP), who fanned a career-high 13 hitters…on the
Astros side, RHP José Urquidy (1ER/5.1P) started for Houston and pitched solidly, working around a litany of baserunners, including seven hits allowed.
EARLY LEAGUE LEADERS: LF Yordan Alvarez ranks second in the AL in RBI (10)…RF Kyle Tucker is tied for second in the AL in homers (3) and tied for third in walks (6)…1B José Abreu ranks tied for seventh in the AL in hits (11).
EARLY RETURNS: 1B José Abreu has opened his career with the Astros on an eight-game hitting streak, which ties as the longest streak in the Majors this season…per Elias, Abreu is the fourth player in club history to begin their Astros career with at least an eight-game hitting streak, joining IF Scott Moore (9g in 2012), IF Jeff Keppinger (8g in 2009) and OF Román Mejias (8g in 1962)…Abreu’s eight-game hitting streak is the longest to open a season in his 10-year career, surpassing his previous high of four games.
RACKIN’ UP RBI: LF Yordan Alvarez is off to a characteristically strong start into the young season, as he’s hitting .320 (8×25) with a double, two homers, 10 RBI and a 1.019 OPS…this marks just the 11th time in club history for a player to record 10-plus RBI within the Astros first eight games of a season (RF Kyle Tucker also did so in 2021).
SEÑOR CIEN: LF Yordan Alvarez connected for his 100th career homer on Monday vs. DET, becoming the 19th player in franchise history to reach the 100-homer mark…Alvarez reached that mark in 372 games, the fastest by an Astros player, topping 1B Lance Berkman, who hit his 100th career homer in his 452nd game.
BOMBS AWAY: RF Kyle Tucker has connected for a team-leading three home runs on the young season, which ranks tied for second in the AL…Tucker is looking to improve upon his career high of 30 homers, which he reached in 2021 and 2022.
MISSING PIECE: The Astros are playing without 2B Jose Altuve, who suffered a right thumb fracture while playing in the World Baseball Classic…Altuve is expected to be sidelined from baseball activity for approximately two months…in his stead, the Astros have started IF Mauricio Dubón (5g) and IF David Hensley (3g), who have combined to hit .276 (8×29) in their starts at the keystone.
FULL SLATE: Yesterday was scheduled to be the first time this season for all four of the Astros full-season minor league affiliates to be in play, but incredibly all four games were affected by weather…today’s Astros minor league schedule now features three doubleheaders and one game that will follow a resumption of last night’s suspended game.
TAYLOR ON ASSIGNMENT: LHP Blake Taylor, on the IL with a left elbow strain, has made three scoreless appearances so far while on an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Sugar Land… because Taylor began the season the the Major League injured list, he’s not eligible to be activated until April 11.
TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP LUIS GARCIA
LAST START – 4/2 VS. CWS: made his season debut on 4/2 vs. CWS allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and striking out 4 batters through 5.0 IP
SPRING TRAINING: made four appearances for Houston this Spring Training and another two for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.
• pitched great in both of his WBC appearances…tossed 4.0 scoreless innings, while striking out 7, against the vaunted Dominican Republic on March 11, in Venezuela’s 5-1 win…also pitched on March 18 vs. Team USA, tossing 4.0 innings and allowing 2 runs…allowed a double and a homer to Astros teammate RF Kyle Tucker. ABOUT GARCIA:Venezuelan starter has pitched in parts of 3 seasons (2020-22) in Houston, going 26-17 with a 3.57 ERA (129ER/325IP) in 63 games (57 starts)… is on his 3rd consecutive Opening Day roster.
• enters the season riding an active 7-game winning streak, which dates back 8 starts to Aug. 12…in those 8 outings, worked to a 3.20 ERA (16ER/45IP).
• has dominated right-handed hitters in his career, limiting them to a .193 average (120×622)…lefties have hit almost 70 points higher against Garcia, posting a .259 average (151×582)…in 2022, those numbers were close to evening out as he limited righties to a .213 (67×315) average and lefties to a .234 (64×274) mark.
GARCIA’S NEW LOOK: Prior to it being outlawed this season, had one of the most unique windups in the Majors, which was a mix of rocking a baby and a salsa dance… his windup was developed during the 2020 season as he worked at the Astros Alternate Training Site over the summer…Garcia did not have a strong origin story for his windup, instead saying he wanted a windup that he felt could be repeatable.
• according to Astros Pitching Coach Josh Miller, this offseason, Garcia simply returned to his windup style he used throughout his career prior to 2020 to get back in compliance with Major League rules.
VS. THE TWINS: set to make his 5th career start vs. the Twins…owns a 2.66 ERA (6 ER/20.1 IP) in 4 career starts against the Twins…has gone 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA (3 ER/9.1IP) in 2 career starts at Target Field.
GARCIA IN 2022: Had a strong second full season in 2022, finishing the year as a 15-game winner, while making 28 starts…ranked T-4th in the AL in wins, 9th in opponent average (.222) and 10th in strikeouts per 9.0 (8.98).
• got his outs via the strikeout and fly ball, as he ranked 5th in the AL in fly ball percentage (43.6%) among those with 150+ IP.
• tossed the 8th immaculate inning in club history on June 15, 2022, at TEX, striking out 1B Nathaniel Lowe, 2B Ezequiel Duran and 3B Brad Miller in the frame…later was joined in that game by RHP Phil Maton, who also tossed an immaculate inning in the 7th inning against those same three hitters…according to MLB.com’s records, marked the first time in MLB history for a game to feature 2 immaculate innings.
GARCIA IN THE 2022 POSTSEASON: went 1-1 in the postseason with a 1.59 ERA and 6 strikeouts in 5.2 IP, working solely as a reliever.
• helped the Astros to the 2022 World Series title by tossing 5.0 scoreless innings in relief in the Astros 18-inning win in Game 3 of the ALDS at SEA…pitched the final 5.0 innings of the Astros win, allowing just two hits and no walks…became the second Astro to work 5.0 scoreless in relief in a postseason game, joining LHP Framber Valdez (Game 1 of the 2020 AL Wild Card Series at MIN)…Garcia was also just the second pitcher in postseason history to work 5.0-plus scoreless relief innings which all came in extras, joining RHP Yusmeiro Petit (6IP in Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS vs. SF).
MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
THE TWINS: Opened their 63rd season in Minnesota and 14th at Target Field with a walk-off victory against the Astros yesterday evening…today they will play the second of three against the ‘Stros and play the series finale tomorrow afternoon…after this series, the Twins will host the White Sox for three games from Monday-Wednesday.
SONNY SHINES IN OPENER: The Twins beat the Astros yesterday at Target Field by a score of 3-2 in 10 innings…Sonny Gray was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on four hits in 7.0 innings pitched…Gray set a career-high with 13 strikeouts, fanning exactly half of the batters he faced (26)…13 strikeouts were also the most for a Twins starter since Francisco Liriano had 15 on July 13, 2012 vs. Oakland…the offense recorded 11 hits, three from Jose Miranda, who drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the 10th…Kyle Farmer drove in the game-winning run with a single, his second career walk-off…the other was in his major league debut with the Dodgers on July 30, 2017 vs. San Francisco.
Gray’s 13 strikeouts marked the most by a Twin in their Home Opener, passing the previous record of 10, done by Bert Blyleven in 1974 vs. Chicago-AL and José Berríos in 2019 vs. Cleveland.
The Twins drew 38,465 in attendance for the Opener, their 12th Home Opener sellout in Target Field’s history…184th sellout in Target Field history overall.
The game was played in 2:47, marking the Twins’ shortest extra-inning game since May 28, 2011 vs. Los Angeles-AL (2:43).
IT’S A WALK-OFF: Yesterday marked the fifth Home Opener walk-off win for the Twins (since 1961):
DATE SCORE NOTES
4/7//23 vs. HOU 3-2 Twins score 2 in bottom 10, Kyle Farmer singles up the middle.
4/5/04 vs. CLE 7-4 Twins score 3 in bottom 11 on a three-run homer from Shannon Stewart.
4/7/87 vs. OAK 5-4 Kent Hrbek hits RBI single in bottom of 10th.
4/12/66 vs. KCA 2-1 Sandy Valdespino hits RBI single in bottom of ninth.
4/12/65 vs. NYY 5-4 César Tovar hits RBI single in bottom of 11th.
KINGS OF THE HILL: Through seven games, Twins starting pitchers have combined to post a 1.12 ERA (40.1 IP, 5 ER), with 12 walks, 52 strikeouts, while holding batters to a slashline of .165/.237/.273…below are their ranks among all starting staffs in Major League Baseball: ERA BAA FIP WHIP HITS ALLOWED K’s OPS
MIN – 1.12 MIA – .165 TB – 1.98 LAD – 0.81 MIA – 22 MIN – 52 MIN – .510
LAD – 2.30 MIN – .165 LAD – 2.61 MIN – 0.87 MIN – 23 CWS – 51 LAD – .522
TB – 2.61 LAD – .187 MIN – 2.73 TB – 1.08 LAA – 29 TEX – 46 MIA – .553
LAA – 2.61 LAA – .206 HOU – 2.99 MIL – 1.13 NYY – 29 TB – 45 TB – .583
MIL – 3.08 MIL – .217 NYY – 3.19 LAA – 1.16 CHC/MIL – 30 3 tied – 44 LAA – .629
TAKING TURNS: Below are the Twins starters through the first seven games:
DATE/OPPONENT STARTER W/L IP H R ER HR BB K
3/30 at Kansas City Pablo López W 5.1 2 0 0 0 3 8
4/1 at Kansas City Sonny Gray W 5.0 3 0 0 0 4 1
4/2 at Kansas City Joe Ryan W 6.0 3 1 1 1 2 6
4/3 at Miami Tyler Mahle W 5.0 5 1 1 0 1 7
4/4 at Miami Kenta Maeda L 5.0 3 1 1 1 0 9
4/5 at Miami Pablo López ND 7.0 3 1 1 1 1 8
4/7 vs. Houston Sonny Gray ND 7.0 4 1 1 0 1 13
TOTALS 4-1 40.1 23 5 5 3 12 52
ADDITIONALLY: The one run-or-fewer allowed by Twins starters in each game marks the second such single-season streak in Twins history (1961-present), alongside a similar seven-game streak from May 20-26, 2022 (Elias Sports Bureau).
TWINS AND ‘STROS: The Twins and Astros are playing each other today for the second of six scheduled games in 2023…the Twins are 36-42 all-time against the Astros in the regular season, including a record of 25-33 since Houston joined the American League in 2013.
Yesterday’s win over the Astros snapped a six-game losing streak to Houston and marked the Twins’ first win over them since August 8, 2021 at Minute Maid Park…first win over the Astros at Target Field since June 12, 2021.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: A victory today would secure the second series win of the season for the Twins…in 2022, they went 21-24-6 in series play, going 14-8-4 at home and 7-16-2 on the road…the Twins have split their two previous series this season, going 3-0 at Kansas City from March 30-April 2 and 1-2 at Miami from April 3-5.
BUCK SEASON: Byron Buxton has nine hits in 25 at-bats to start the season, recording multiple hits in four of six games…he has reached base in all six games and 11 total times in 27 plate appearances (.407 OBP)…since 2021, Buck is hitting .362 (51-for-141) with 13 doubles, 14 home runs, 25 RBI, 31 runs scored, a .412 on-base percentage, a .766 slugging percentage and a 1.178 OPS in 37 March/April games…in that span, he leads baseball in slugging, is second in OPS and batting average, and fifth in OBP…in 2021, he was named American League Player of the Month for April.
Last season, Buck hit .351 (13-for-37) with four doubles, six home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.361 OPS in his first 10 games.
TICK TOCK: Through seven games, the Twins average time of game is 2:24 minutes, the fastest in baseball…their longest game this season has been 2:47 — 10 innings yesterday, while their shortest was 1:57 on Tuesday at Miami…last season, the Twins average time of game was 3:07, a difference of 43 minutes to this season.
HIGH DEF HIGHLIGHTS: The Twins’ most expansive renovation of their home ballpark since it opened in 2010, the “Scoreboard 2.0” project further enhances the Target Field fan experience by delivering best-in-class LED technology for the venue’s main and auxiliary videoboards and other digital displays, along with a pair of creative, interactive and signature elements: An updated “Minnie & Paul” Celebration Sign rising above the ballpark in centerfield, and a revolving, illuminated Baseball Medallion sitting atop the “Twins Tower” in the rightfield corner…the $29.5 million project, which also replaced all previous videoboard control room equipment prior to the 2022 season, was funded equally by the Twins and the Minnesota Ballpark Authority’s Ballpark Capital Reserve Fund.
STARTING PITCHER – JOE RYAN 41
Making his second start and appearance of 2023 and his first start at Target Field this year…also his 34th career start and appearance.
Facing Houston for the second time in his career…lost to Astros May 10, 2022 in one previous start (4.0 IP, 4 R/ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 3 K).
Led Twins pitching staff in wins (13), innings pitched (147.0) and strikeouts (151) last season.
LAST TIME OUT: Ryan earned the win against the Kansas City Royals in his first start of the 2023 season April 2, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing one run and three hits with two walks and six strikeouts opposite Brad Keller…was supported with six runs, including two home runs from Joey Gallo…Twins won 7-4 to sweep the series…his lone blemish was a two-out solo home run by Royals outfielder Edward Olivares in the bottom of the second inning…was first Twins starting pitcher to complete 6.0 innings and record a quality start this season, his 13th quality start of his career…improved to 5-0, 1.20 ERA (30.0 IP, 4 ER) with nine walks and 32 strikeouts in five career starts vs. Kansas City.
JOE VS. THE ‘STROS: Today Ryan faces the Astros for the second time in his career…lost to Houston May 10, 2022 at Target Field, allowing four hits and four earned runs in 4.0 innings with a career-high five walk and three strikeouts…Ryan allowed two hits and a walk to start the fifth inning before being removed with the Twins trailing 3-0…tied four other starts for the shortest start of his career… is looking for his first career win vs. an American League West opponent…has gone 0-4, 5.87 ERA (23.0 IP, 15 ER) with 16 walks and 21 strikeouts in five previous starts against the AL West.
RIGHT ON TARGET: Ryan will make his first home start of 2023 today…in 18 career starts at Target Field, Ryan is 7-5, 3.50 ERA (97.2 IP, 38 ER) with 33 walks and 105 strikeouts…on the road, Ryan has gone 9-4, 3.62 ERA (82.0 IP, 33 ER) with 21 walks and 82 strikeouts in 15 starts…owns a 9.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.02 WHIP at home in his career, slightly better than his 9.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.07 WHIP in road starts…Ryan’s 105 strikeouts at Target Field rank ninth among active players.
LEFT/RIGHT: Kansas City’s left-handed batters went hitless in 12 at-bats vs. Ryan on Sunday with one walk and three strikeouts…over his career, Ryan has slightly better splits against left-handed hitters than righties, with lefties batting just .187 with a .611 OPS since his debut in 2021…right-handed hitters are hitting .217 with a .680 OPS off Ryan…in 2022, lefties slashed .202/.288/.348 against Ryan with eight home runs and 56 strikeouts…his .202 opponent batting average vs. lefties ranked ninth in the American League last season (min. 50.0 IP).
THE ARSENAL: Ryan utilized a three-pitch mix in his 2023 debut against Kansas City…he threw his fourseam fastball for 55.0 percent of his pitches and showcased his retooled changeup and slider for the remainder of his offerings…here’s a look at the Ryan’s repertoire from his first start, per Baseball Savant:
PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
4-Seam Fastball (92.2)…………….55.0% (44 pitches, 24/20)………. .273 (3-for-11), 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 K
Split Finger (83.2)…………………….25.0% (20 pitches, 3/17)………………………….. .000 (0-for-9), 2 K
Sweeper (82.0)…………………………20.0% (16 pitches, 16/0)………………………….. .000 (0-for-1), 1 K
ARyan’s 2-2 fastball to Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. in the bottom of the first inning on
Sunday recorded at 96.0 mph, the fastest pitch of his career.
2022 NOTES:
Made Twins Opening Day roster, the first of career…spent nearly all season with Minnesota.
Was club’s Opening Day starter April 8 vs. Seattle, allowing two runs in 4.0 innings pitched with four walks and four strikeouts and was dealt the loss in a Twins 2-1 defeat…became second rookie in franchise history (since 1901) to start on Opening Day, joining Tom Hall on April 8, 1969.
Posted 20.0-scoreless inning streak from April 15-May 3, longest for a Twins pitcher on season.
Went 3-1, 1.17 ERA (23.0 IP, 3 ER) with six walks and 25 strikeouts in four April starts, the lowest ERA for a rookie in March/April (min. 20 IP) in Twins/Senators history (since 1901).
Threw 100-plus pitches in seven of 27 starts, including a season-high of 110 August 9 at Los Angeles-AL…also most for Twins starter in 2022.
Went 3-0, 1.09 ERA (24.2 IP, 3 ER) with eight walks and 27 strikeouts in final four starts from September 13-20.
Led Twins staff in wins (13), innings pitched (147.0) and strikeouts (151), and ranked second
in starts (27).
HAPPY DAYS: In 13 career daytime starts, Ryan is 7-3, 2.43 ERA (70.1 IP, 19 ER) with 22 walks and 62 strikeouts…has won his last two starts in day games, combining to throw 13.2 innings and allow only one run and six hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts…pitched a career-high 7.2 innings vs. Cleveland September 18, 2022 in a daytime start (0 R/ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K)…Ryan is 9-6, 4.28 ERA (109.1 IP, 52 ER) with 32 walks and 125 strikeouts in 20 career night starts.
CAREER NOTES
• 2023 marks his sixth professional season, including 2020.
• In 2022, his first full major-league season, was Twins Opening Day starter and led both the club and all AL rookies in wins (13), innings pitched (147.0) and strikeouts (151).
• Made his major league debut for the Twins on September 1, 2021 vs. Chicago-NL (L, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R/3 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 5 K).
• Helped Team USA win the silver medal in baseball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics… went 1-0, 1.74 ERA (10.1 IP, 2 ER), one walk and eight strikeouts in two starts.
• Acquired by the Twins on July 22, 2021 from the Tampa Bay Rays, alongside righthanded pitcher Drew Strotman, in exchange for designated hitter Nelson Cruz… learned about the trade while in Japan with Team USA.
• In 2020, was part of the Rays 60-man player pool and spent the summer at the alternate training site in Port Charlotte, Florida…ranked by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the Rays system following the season.
• In 2019, was named Rays minor league Pitcher of the Year after going 9-4, 1.96 ERA (123.2 IP, 27 ER) in his first full professional season…divided the year between Low-A Bowling Green (6 starts), High-A Charlotte (15 games, 13 starts) and Double-A Montgomery (3 starts).
• Garnered several other awards in 2019, including: MiLB.com organization All-Star honors, Baseball America High Class A All-Star, two-time Florida State League Pitcher of the Week (June 17-23 and August 5-11) and Rays minor league Pitcher of the Month for July and August.
• Made professional debut in 2018 for Short-A Hudson Valley…went 2-1, 3.72 ERA (36.1 IP, 15 ER) in 12 games (7 starts) for the Renegades, with 14 walks and 51 strikeouts.
• Selected by the Rays in the seventh round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Division II California State University, Stanislaus.
• Went 8-1, 1.65 ERA (98.1 IP, 18 ER) in 14 starts as a senior at Stanislaus and led all divisions of college baseball with 127 strikeouts…earned three selections to All-America teams, including first team All-America honors by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association…pitched three seasons at California State University, Northridge before transferring to Stanislaus.
