Alright Twins fans, we already know what has happened in the past. 17 losses in a row, and it feels like even more somehow. The longest losing streak in all of North America for playoff losing streaks. My only wish is that I would've been betting on these games, and rolling over the winnings. However, today, the Twins have a chance to change that. Jose Berrios takes the bump, and a rookie makes his first ever start in the postseason. Buckle up, if today is like yesterday, it's going to be one hell of a ride where everyone ends up puking at the end.
The Pitchers - RHP Jose Berrios (5-4, 4.00 ERA, 68 K's, 63 IP) vs RHP Jose Urquidy (1-1, 2.73 ERA, 17 K's, 29.2 IP)
The Twins turn to Jose Berrios, who unsurprisingly, everyone on the ESPN family of networks thought was the Twins best pitcher this season. The thing is, he was far from it, and we saw why yesterday. King Kenta tightroped out of situations a few times, doing exactly what a pitcher in the postseason needs to do. Berrios is going to have to pitch one of the better games of his career, as he has never made it into the 5th inning during a postseason game. As for the Astros, they turn to a right hander who still qualifies as a rookie. Urquidy isn't going to dominate Twins hitters with anything, as he only records 5.2 K/9. If you take a look at the ERA, it looks solid. However, the underlying numbers don't back that up at all, as he has a FIP north of 4.70.
Lineups
Twins
2B Luis Arraez L
CF Max Kepler L
DH Nelson Cruz R
LF E. Rosario L
1B Miguel Sano R
RF A. Kirilloff L
SS J. Polanco S
3B M. Gonzalez S
C Ryan Jeffers R
Astros
CF G. Springer R
2B Jose Altuve R
DH M. Brantley L
3B Alex Bregman R
LF Kyle Tucker L
1B Yuli Gurriel R
SS C. Correa R
RF Josh Reddick L
C M. Maldonado R
The Twins choose to switch some things up a bit, and the first thing you notice is that Byron Buxton is not in the lineup. That is obviously not good news, and nothing official has come out yet, but there are reports on the Twins beat that Buxton is 'not feeling well.' That is not great news for the most valuable player in the Twins lineup, one that is already missing JD. Instead of starting Jake Cave, who has a nice OPS of .870 this month, the club makes an aggressive move and starts Alex Kiriloff, a corner outfielder who just got promoted yesterday. I'm not going to rag on this move because we know what Jake Cave is, and Kiriloff has a higher ceiling, but it is interesting to see them make that decision. Jeffers gets another start behind the plate which is good, but I am sure he will only see 2 at bats for some odd reason. Houston chooses to go with the same lineup that won them the game in game 1.
This Day In History - 2004: Thanks to Bernie Williams's ninth-inning two-run homer, the Yankees beat the Twins, 6-4, to clinch their seventh straight American League East Division title. It is also their 100th victory of the season, making the club only the fourth team in history (Braves 1997-99; Orioles 1969-71; A's 1929-31) to have three consecutive 100-win seasons.
Pick to Click - Kepler goes boom for a 2 run shot in the first
Go Twins!!!