MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
THE TWINS: Completed their six-game, seven-day homestand with a record of 2-4, going 1-2 against the Giants and 1-2 vs. the Blue Jays…today, Minnesota will begin a short three-game road trip with the first of three at Houston…after this series concludes on Wednesday night, the Twins will travel back home for a quick four-game series/homestand against the Guardians from Thursday-Sunday…the Twins have gone 16-12 at Target Field and 11-14 on the road.
TWINS GET AN UNWELCOME VISIT FROM AN OLD FRIEND: The Twins were shut out by José Berríos and the Blue Jays yesterday afternoon by a score of 3-0, suffering their fourth-consecutive series loss…they were shut out for the fourth time this season and first time at home…Bailey Ober (3-2) was the starter and loser, allowing two runs on five hits in 5.0 innings pitched, with one walk and seven strikeouts…the offense recorded five hits, two from Matt Wallner, who also drew two walks…after going 4-for-4 on Saturday afternoon, Wallner extended his on-base streak to eight-straight plate appearances, tying a club rookie record, held by Dan Ford (7/1-2/75), Denard Span (7/9-11/08) and Danny Valencia (7/26-27/10) (credit Elias).
ROSTER MOVES: Earlier today the Twins reinstated Max Kepler from the 10-day Injured List and returned Royce Lewis from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 60-day IL.
Kepler, who was placed on the Injured List on May 13 with a strained left hamstring, has played in 28 games for the Twins this season, hitting .212 (21-for-99) with five doubles, six home runs, 14 RBI, 17 runs scored, 10 walks and a .743 OPS.
Lewis, who underwent ACL reconstructive surgery on his right knee in June of 2022, played in 10 games on rehab assignment with Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul, hitting .333 (13-for-39) with two doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.088 OPS…the 2017 first overall pick made his major league debut on May 6, 2022 and appeared in 12 games for the Twins last season, hitting .300 (12-for-40) with four doubles, two home runs, five RBI, five runs scored, one walk and an .867 OPS.
To make room on the 26-man roster, the Twins have optioned Kyle Garlick and Matt Wallner to Triple-A St. Paul.
To make room for Lewis on the 40-man roster, the Twins have transferred Nick Gordon to the 60-day IL (right tibia fracture).
RIGHT WHEN ROYCE WAS ROLLING: Royce Lewis made his major league debut on May 6, 2022 vs. Oakland, going 1-for-4, singling off Kirby Snead for his first major league hit…he played in 11 games for the Twins then was optioned back to Triple-A St. Paul when Carlos Correa was reinstated from the IL on May 18…he was recalled again May 29 and started in centerfield that day vs. Kansas City…he made a catch on a fly ball on the warning track in the third inning and came up limping…he was originally diagnosed with a right knee bone bruise but further testing showed that Lewis needed ACL surgery for the second time…in eight games prior to his season ending, Lewis hit .333 (9-for-27) with three doubles, two home runs, five RBI and a 1.024 OPS.
US AND THEM: Twins starters have averaged 5.6 innings-per-outing, up from 4.8 in 2022… below are Twins starting pitching ranks in all of baseball:
INNINGS ERA BAA WHIFF% FIP WHIP K’s OPS
TOR – 305.0 TEX – 3.17 TB – .226 HOU – 30.0 MIN – 3.34 SEA – 1.09 MIN – 330 SEA – .637
TEX – 301.1 TB – 3.17 MIN – .229 ATL – 29.8 SEA – 3.40 MIN – 1.12 CWS – 307 TB – .651
SEA – 300.0 HOU – 3.22 SEA – .229 MIN – 27.9 TB – 3.56 TEX – 1.13 ATL – 303 MIN – .660
CWS – 299.2 MIN – 3.30 NYY – .234 LAA – 27.6 TEX – 3.67 TB – 1.13 TOR – 302 TEX – .670
MIN – 297.0 ATL – 3.42 TEX – .234 MIA – 27.5 ATL – 3.69 HOU – 1.18 HOU – 298 ATL – .695
ALL THE K’S IN MAY: The Twins pitchers have 240 strikeouts this month, fifth most in May in club history with their most being 260 in 2019 (below)…their record for any month is 274, done in April.
YEAR K/9.0 STRIKEOUTS
2019 (29 games)…………………………………………………9.14 ……………………………………………………..260
2022 (30 games)…………………………………………………8.63 ……………………………………………………..256
2018 (28 games)…………………………………………………8.78 ……………………………………………………..252
2021 (29 games)…………………………………………………8.54 ……………………………………………………..243
2023 (23 games) ……………………………………………….*9.90 …………………………………………………….240
- indicates club record for May
SHOOTING STARS: The Twins and Astros are playing each other today for the fourth of six scheduled games in 2023…the Twins are 37-43 all-time against the Astros in the regular season, including a record of 26-34 since Houston joined the American League in 2013.
The Twins hosted the Astros for a three-game series at Target Field from April 7-9 to open the home portion of their schedule and won the series 2-1, their first series win over the Astros since taking three of four at Minute Maid Park from August 5-8, 2021.
The Twins last trip to Houston came August 23-25, 2022, getting swept in three games and outscored 15-8…that trip capped off a win-less season against Houston (0-6).
The Twins’ last win in Houston came on August 8, 2021, a 7-5 victory as Kenta Maeda beat Lance McCullers Jr….in that game, Jorge Polanco homered twice and Miguel Sanó homered once. A2022 and 2023 comparison vs. Houston in the right margin
C4, IGNITING: Carlos Correa went 1-for-4 with a single yesterday afternoon and has now reached safely in each of his last 14 games, hitting .288 (15-for-52) in that span, with a .413 on-base percentage (15 hits & 11 walks), six doubles, one home run, nine RBI and an .874 OPS…Correa’s current streak is his longest since reaching in 20-straight from September 13-October 3, 2022…his career-long is 27, from June 10-July 15, 2017 with Houston.
Correa has drawn eight walks in his last six games and 11 walks in his last 14 games, since May 10…since that date, his 11 walks are tied for sixth most in the AL.
Correa made his return to Houston for a three-game series August 23-25, 2022 and went 1-for-11 with one RBI and four strikeouts… in five career games against his former club, he is 2-for-20 (.100) with one walk, one double and one RBI.
THE WALKING MAN WALKS: Joey Gallo has drawn at least one walk in six of his last seven games, since May 20, totaling eight walks in that span…since that date, he trails only Juan Soto (3.20) in all of baseball in plate appearances-per-walk at 3.25…on the season, he has drawn 23 walks, compared to 25 hits recorded…he has a difference of 131 points between his batting average (.207) and on-base percentage (.338), the seventh-widest margin in baseball, trailing Juan Soto (161, .422 – .261), Ryan Noda (159, .400 – .241), Kyle Schwarber (155, .323 – .168), LaMonte Wade Jr. (144, .409 – .265), Gunnar Henderson (133, .333 – .200) and Max Muncy (132, .340 – .208).
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY: The Twins are 24-32 all-time on Memorial Day…on Memorial Day 2022, the Twins lost to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park by a score of 7-5 as Dylan Bundy faced Beau Brieske…Joe Smith was the losing pitcher, allowing two runs (1 earned) in the seventh inning, which broke a 4-4 tie…Gary Sánchez, Gio Urshela and Jose Miranda all homered in the game…the Twins’ last Memorial Day win came in 2021, beating the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards by a score of 3-2 in 10 innings.
STARTING PITCHER – SONNY GRAY 54
2023: 4-0, 1.82 ERA CAREER: 94-77, 3.50 ERA
Enters today leading all qualified major league pitchers in ERA…also ranks first in FIP (1.96) and fifth in WAR (2.4).
Making his 258th career appearance and 249th career start.
Facing Houston for the first time this season, 12th in his career; is 4-4, 2.90 ERA (71.1 IP, 23 ER) with 22 walks and 62 strikeouts…looking for his first win against the Giants since September 8, 2015.
Making 11th start of the year and fifth on the road…is 5-3, 3.42 ERA (71.0 IP, 27 ER) with 37 walks and 57 strikeouts in 15 road starts since joining the Twins.
Acquired by the Twins on March 13, 2022 in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, along with right-handed pitcher Francis Peguero, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Chase Petty
LAST TIME OUT: Did not factor into the decision against the San Francisco Giants on May 23 at Target Field, opposite Alex Cobb…pitched 5.0-plus innings, allowing two runs on six hits, with two walks and six strikeouts…tossed 105 pitches, his second time tossing over 100 pitches this season (also, season-high 107 on April 24 vs. New York-AL)…retired 16 of the first 20 batters he faced…lifted from the game in the sixth inning after loading the bases with two walk and one double…Jovani Moran entered in relief and issued a bases-loaded walk to catcher Patrick Bailey…Brock Stewart replaced Moran and also issued a bases-loaded walk to outfielder Bryce Johnson (both runs were charge to Gray)…marked the first time the Twins issued multiple bases-loaded walks in the same inning since September 8, 2020 at St. Louis when Randy Dobnak and Caleb Thielbar issued two walks in the bottom of the third inning…Jorge López entered in the seventh inning and yielded the final runs scored via a two-run home run to outfielder Michael Conforto.
TWO STARTS AGO: Did not factor into the decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 17 at Dodger Stadium, opposite Dustin May…pitched 4.0 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, with three walks and four strikeouts…marked his shortest start of the season and his shortest outing since September 24, 2022 vs. Washington where he also pitched 4.0 innings…allowed his first run in the third inning via a sacrifice fly to infielder Freddie Freeman…yielded his last run on an RBI single to outfielder Mookie Betts in the fourth inning…relieved by Jovani Moran in the fifth as the bullpen combined to pitch 4.0 innings while allowing five runs…Moran pitched a scoreless fifth while José De León pitched a scoreless sixth in his season debut…lifted after allowing two singles in the seventh inning…Emilio Pagán entered in the seventh inning and permitted all five runs…issued a bases loaded walk to infielder Miguel Rojas followed by a grand slam by outfielder James Outman.
TENS ACROSS THE BOARD: Gray holds the third-lowest ERA through a pitcher’s first 10 starts of the season in Twins history (1961-), trailing Scott Erickson (1.63, 1991) and Ervin Santana (1.80, 2017), ranks ninth in strikeouts and tied for seventh in fewest hits allowed (min. 50.0 IP)…is the only pitcher in the majors who has yet to allow a home run this season (min. 50.0 IP).
AGAINST HOUSTON: Gray is facing the Astros for the 12th time in his career, going 4-4, 2.90 ERA (71.1 IP, 23 ER) with 22 walks and 62 strikeouts in his 11 previous appearances…last faced Houston on April 7 at Target Field, taking a no-decision in a 10-inning, 3-2 Twins home opener victory after allowing one run on four hits with one walk and a career-high 13 strikeouts in 7.0 innings…yielded his only run via an RBI single by infielder Alex Bregman in the third inning…relieved by Griffin Jax in the eighth inning as the bullpen combined to pitch 3.0 innings and allowed one run (an RBI single by infielder Mauricio Dubón in the 10th off Jorge López)…the Twins won the game via an RBI singleby infielder Kyle Farmer off Ryne Stanek.
Looking for his first win against the Astros since September 8, 2015 when he led the Oakland Athletics to a 4-0 win at Oakland Coliseum after pitching 7.0 shutout innings, allowing five hits with two walks and four strikeouts…enters today with a two-game losing streak since June 20, 2017; 0-2, 4.00 ERA (18.0 IP, 8 ER) with eight walks and 22 strikeouts in the three-game span.
Has never won at Minute Maid Park in his career; is 0-2, 4.64 ERA (21.1 IP, 11 ER) with 11 walks and 15 strikeouts in his four previous appearances at “The Juice Box”…has not pitched at Minute Maid Park since April 30, 2018 when he took the 2-1 Yankees loss.
Has one career Postseason start against the Astros on October 17, 2017 in the ALCS as a member of the New York Yankees…did not factor into the decision after pitching 5.0 innings, allowing two runs (1 earned) on one hit, with two walks and four strikeouts.
ON THE ROAD: Gray is making his fifth road start of the season today, going 1-0, 2.84 ERA (19.0 IP, 6 ER) with 12 walks and 18 strikeouts in his four prior road outings…went 4-3, 3.63 ERA (52.0 IP, 21 ER) with 11 walks and 39 strikeouts in 11 home starts in 2022 and is 41-39, 3.24 ERA (677.2 IP, 244 ER) with 254 walks and 655 strikeouts in 122 career road appearances, including 117 starts.
Is 5-3, 3.42 ERA (71.0 IP, 27 ER) with 23 walks and 57 strikeouts in 15 road starts since becoming a Twin.
Ranks 12th for lowest road ERA in the American League this season (min. 18.0 IP).
THE ARSENAL: Gray is currently using a six-pitch mix, per Baseball Savant…continues to use his curveball the most at 23.4 percent…four of his six hits allowed during his last start on May 23 vs. San Francisco came off fastballs…primarily uses his curveball (141 pitches) and changeup (64 pitches) against lefties and his cutter (132 pitches), sinker (151 pitches) and sweeper (132 pitches) against righties…here’s a look at his repertoire so far:
PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
Curveball (79.0)…………………….23.4% (218 pitches, 77/141)…………. .217 (10-for-46), 3 2B, 14 K
Cutter (87.4) …………………………18.3% (171 pitches, 132/39)…………….. .161 (5-for-31), 2 2B, 7 K
Sinker (92.5) …………………………18.1% (169 pitches, 151/18)…… .189 (7-for-37), 2 2B, 1 3B, 17 K
4-Seam Fastball (92.6)…………..18.0% (168 pitches, 50/118)…………… .375 (12-for-32), 3 2B, 3 K
Sweeper (83.3)……………………….15.0% (140 pitches, 132/8)……………. .186 (8-for-43), 2 2B, 23 K
Changeup (87.2)……………………….7.1% (66 pitches, 2/64)………………… .154 (2-for-13), 1 2B, 2 K
Owns the seventh lowest opponent batting average (min. 25 PA) against a cutter and 12th against a sinker.
His 23 strikeouts on his sweeper at fourth most in the majors, behind Shohei Ohtani (46), Justin Lawrence (28) and Ken Waldichuk (24).
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Astros will play a Memorial Day matinee today against the Twins, in what is the opener of a seven-game homestand for Houston…rookie RHP J.P. France will get the start for Houston, making his fifth Major League start, opposite veteran RHP Sonny Gray and the Twins.
RECENT ‘STROS: The Astros are 14-3 in their last 17 games to put them a season-high 10 games above .500…within this run, the Astros are 6-0 at home and 8-3 on the road.
GRINDERS: Today is the fourth day in a streak of 17 consecutive days with a game for the Astros…prior to this week, the most days the Astros had played in a row was seven, a streak that opened the season from March 30-April 5.
THE FRENCHMAN:RHP J.P. France has been solid in his first four Major League starts, limiting his opponents to one-or-fewer earned runs in three of those outings…the 28-year-old rookie, and the former 14th-round pick by the Astros, earned his way to the Major League rotation after having a strong start to the season at Triple A Sugar Land, going 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA (5ER/19.1IP) in five games (three starts).
VS. MINNESOTA: The Astros and Twins are seeing each other for the second and final time of the 2023 regular season… the Twins won the previous series, two game to one, in chilly Minnesota from April 7-9…RHP J.P. France and RHP Brandon Bielak were not in the Astros rotation during that series, but Wednesday’s starter RHP Hunter Brown tossed 7.0 innings of one-run ball in the Astros lone victory.
SUNDAY FUNDAY: The Astros walloped the A’s in Oakland yesterday to the tune of 10-1, securing their fourth series sweep of the season and their second against the A’s…the Astros got there with a seven-homer performance, including two by DH Yordan Alvarez (2×5, 2RBI), giving him his second two-homer game of the road trip…2B Jose Altuve and 1B José Abreu also homered, their first of the season…the beneficiary was RHP Cristian Javier (1ER/5IP), who picked up the win, his club-leading sixth of the season.
LUCKY SEVENS: The Astros seven homers yesterday tied the club record for a single game…they also hit seven homers on Sept. 9, 2000 at CHC and on Sept. 9, 2019 vs. OAK…incredibly, in the 55-year history of the Oakland Coliseum, this marked the first seven-homer game by a team in stadium history.
ABOUT THE TRIP: The Astros completed their road trip yesterday with a 4-2 record and are 17-10 (.629) on the road, which ranks as the second-best road record in the AL, trailing only the Orioles (18-9, .667)…this falls in line with what the Astros did last season, as they led the AL in road winning percentage with a 51-30 (.630) mark.
PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.16) and have allowed the fewest runs (181) in the Majors…the Astros starters rank third the Majors in ERA (3.22)and have allowed one-or-fewer earned runs in seven of the last nine games… also, the Astros bullpen ranks third in the Majors in ERA (3.05).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB Runs Allowed – MLB
- Houston: 3.16 1. Houston: 181
- Minnesota: 3.43 2. Minnesota: 198
- Seattle: 3.51 3. Seattle: 205
HECTOR’S HOT STREAK: RHP Hector Neris has not allowed a run in his last 16 appearances (14.1IP), which ranks as the longest scoreless appearance and innings streak in a single season in his career…the streak also ranks as the longest scoreless inning streak by an Astro this season and ranks as the second-longest active streak in the Majors.
BULLPEN WEAPONS: RHP Phil Maton and RHP Bryan Abreu have been outstanding this season…Maton has allowed just 11 hits and two runs in his first 22 appearances (25.1 IP) for a 0.71 ERA and a .129 (11×85) opponent average…meanwhile, Abreu has tallied 39 strikeouts in his 24.1 IP while allowing just five earned runs for a 1.85 ERA, and also posting a .145 opponent average (14.42 SO/9IP ratio ranks fourth in the AL).
ROOKIE RESPECT: The Astros have had a top five finisher in AL Rookie of the Year voting in four straight seasons in SS Jeremy Peña (5th in 2022), RHP Luis Garcia (2nd in 2021), RHP Cristian Javier (3rd in 2020) and LF Yordan Alvarez (1st in 2019)…they’re on the way to a fifth behind RHP Hunter Brown, who’s posted the highest WAR (1.7), according to STATS, among all AL rookies…he edges out RHP Bryce Miller (1.4), 1B Ryan Noda (1.4) and SS Zach Neto (1.3) in that category.
AMERICAN LEAGUE RANKINGS: Among AL players, LF Yordan Alvarez ranks second in RBI (48), tied for second in SLG (.612), tied for second in homers (14), third in OPS (1.014) and third in OBP (.402)…3B Alex Bregman ranks tied for seventh in walks (28) and third in walk to strikeout ratio (1.22).
STUFF OF NIGHTMARES: LF Yordan Alvarez has been at his best in the big moments in his career, especially this season… he’s hitting .432 (16×37) with RISP, .526 (10×19) with RISP and two outs, .556 (5×9) with the bases loaded, and .400 (10×25) in close and late situations.
WELCOME BACK!: The Astros will present Twins C Christian Vazquez with his 2022 World Series Championship ring this series…Vazquez spent the final two months of the 2022 regular season in Houston after being acquired at the trade deadline from Boston…he had his moments in Houston, including catching Game 4 of the World Series, the historic combined no-hitter, and tacking on four postseason hits and three RBI.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP J.P. FRANCE
LAST START – 5/23 AT MIL: allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 1 walk with a career-high 8 strikeouts in 5.2 innings…suffered the tough-luck loss after the Astros’ offense was shutout in the 6-0 loss against the Brewers…also tossed a career-high 97 total pitches.
THE FIRST FRANCE: rookie right-hander made his Major League debut with his start on May 6 at Seattle…allowed 1 earned run in 11.2 IP through his first two MLB starts…he became the 4th pitcher in club history to work 5.0-plus innings, allowing 1-or-fewer runs in each of his first 2 Major League starts…joining LHP Dallas Keuchel (2012), LHP Carlos Hernández (2001) and RHP Manny Hernández as the only other Astros pitcher to record this feat.
ABOUT FRANCE: was selected in the 14th round by the Astros in the 2018 draft out of Mississippi State…the 2023 season is his 6th in the Astros system.
- pitched for 3 years at Tulane, missed his sophomore season due to injury, before he transferred to Mississippi State…posted a 3.77 ERA in 25 appearances (59.2IP /2GS) as a grad transfer…he played a crucial part in the Bulldogs clinching an NCAA Super Regional berth by throwing 7.0 innings of two-run ball vs. Oklahoma in the Tallahassee Regional.
FRANCE’S 2023 MILB SEASON: prior to being recalled, he was with Triple A Sugar Land, going 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA (5ER/19.1IP) in 5 games (3 starts)…worked between the rotation and bullpen in the Space Cowboys’ piggyback starter role.
- had 26 strikeouts in 19.1 innings, while allowing just 9 hits on the season…posted a .136 (9×66) opponent average and a 1.03 WHIP.
- did not allow a home run this season in the homer-friendly Pacific Coast League… has not allowed a homer at the MiLB level since Aug. 13, 2022 at ELP…since that date, has made 17 total MiLB appearances (36IP)..
FANNING FRANCE: has posted huge strikeout numbers in his minor league career, fanning 447 in 362.1 innings pitched…it is the most strikeouts by an Astros minor league player since he entered the system in 2018.
- prior to being recalled, he ranked T-5th in strikeouts-per-9-innings (11.10) among Astros minor league pitchers since 2018 (min 200 IP).
FRANCE’S CAREER: has a career 20-17 with a 3.73 ERA in 99 games (56 starts) in the minors.
- spent the entire 2022 season with Triple A Sugar Land, going 3-4 with a 3.90 ERA (48ER/110.2IP) in 34 games (15 starts)…struck out 136 hitters in his 110.2 innings, while allowing a .233 opponent average…began his season working in the rotation or making multi-inning piggyback appearances…moved to a traditional relief role in late August, finishing his season with 12 consecutive relief appearances of 2.0-or-fewer innings…posted a 2.31 ERA (3ER/11.2IP) in 9 relief appearances in September.
