Make It Official! Twins 6, Astros 1: Pablo López Overwhelms Astros in Breezy Win

Box Score
Pablo López: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (5), Carlos Santana (8)
Top 3 WPA: Pablo López (.224), Willi Castro (.131), Carlos Correa (.097)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

“These aren’t the same Astros,” cried the ink of countless writers, unaware that their observations of a team that didn’t quell until Game Seven of the ALCS only fuels the terrible monster. For years, Houston has been a supernatural baseball force. Minute Maid Park curses all; playing in that park—under the superficial lights, drenched in a mildly stale aesthetic—feels akin to facing the final boss in a video game so unfair that most never even bother to play. Just ask Carlos Correa. The Astros should never be underestimated until the day they retire Jose Altuve’s number.

But maybe the prognostications are finally correct. Houston entered Friday seven games under .500. Their starting rotation is a sad imitation of themselves. Justin Verlander is nearly as old as JFK was when he took the oath of office. The sheen of intimidation that had followed those orange jerseys no longer strikes as deeply—can the Twins take advantage of their weakened foe?

For Pablo López, the game was a return to his greatest conquest; just six months ago, he climbed the same mound and fired off seven scoreless innings in the finest moment of Twins baseball since a random collection of misfits and weirdos made the ALCS 22 years ago. He was brilliant. The Astros had no answer.

He nearly matched that outing on Friday, albeit with quieter fanfare and a little less dominance. The Pablo López of May 31st, 2024, commanded his stuff well enough—to a point that usually earns a hurler a win—in a start that reversed the fortune of those that came before. His ghastly ERA fell, and inklings of the ace we fell in love with last year showed through; he ended the start with a lone earned run allowed and six strikeouts. Perhaps most encouraging, he shed a middle-inning mess and appeared to grow in strength as the start went on; the Astros never seriously rallied after the 4th inning. 

Minnesota kicked off the scoring with a third-inning skirmish. Not quite an ambush, the Twins plated a pair when Willi Castro led off the frame with a triple, eventually scoring when Correa slashed a double to right center. Alex Kirilloff beckoned home another run with a sacrifice fly. 

Alex Bregman brought the game within a run the following frame with a cheeky homer—it’s always the short home runs that feel the most insolent—before the Twins shortly ensured the Astros shenanigans of old would not wreck their lead.

Castro walked, Jose Miranda walked, and Trevor Larnach worked Houston’s starter, Ronel Blanco, for about a million pitches. Nothing he threw was good enough. Larnach spoiled more pitches than a crusty CFO. Finally, on the 9th offering of the at-bat, the lefty found a hittable pitch: a lethargic slider spinning mildly in the middle of the zone. The offering landed 401 feet away. 4-1 Twins.

The rest of the game was ancillary to what came before; Minnesota plated more runs as their pitchers continued to cruise, but a serious threat to their authority never came; all Houston could do was wilt. Carlos Santana homered during the muck. The game continued to slither and melt as second-tier relievers, only trusted in unserious situations, racked up the out totals, finally pushing the game to its assumed conclusion when Cole Sands punched out Mauricio Dubón.

Notes:

Carlos Santana's 309th career homer ties him with Edgar Martínez for 146th all-time.

Trevor Larnach's 25th career Twins homer ties him with Rich Becker, Robbie Grossman, and Denny Hocking for 84th place on the all-time Twins home run list.

Pablo López's six strikeouts give him 309 in his Twins career, good for 59th place on Minnesota's all-time strikeout leaderboard.

Willi Castro's fourth triple ties him for, ironically, fourth place in MLB for three-baggers hit. Jarren Duran leads with eight.

Carlos Correa passed Curt Flood and Eduardo Escobar (for real) in career RBIs with his 637 run batted in. He stands at 789th all-time in MLB history. 

Post-Game Interview:

What’s Next?
The Twins and Astros will play the second game of their series on Saturday, with Joe Ryan set to face off against Framber Valdez. First pitch is at 3:10. 

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