A postseason comparison study begins when the Minnesota Twins take on the Houston Astros on Saturday at Minute Maid Park. The twins are new here. This team has lost 18 straight playoff games dating to 2004 and hadn’t won a playoff series since 2002 until a few days ago. Now they have won two straight playoff games and swept the playoff series.
The Astros are a “been there, done that” group. Since the start of the 2017 season, the Astros have won two World Series and four American League championships. During that time, they compiled an impressive 13-4 record in playoff series and an overall WL record of 53-33.
Will the Astros advance again or will the Twins finally return to the American League Championship Series? We’ll find out starting on Saturday.
You can view the full playoff schedule hereand Here are the brackets for the 2023 playoffs. Now, let’s understand the important things about ALDS.
Astros vs. Twins schedule
Saturday, October 7
Game 1: Twins vs. Astros, 4:45 p.m. ET, FS1
Sunday, October 8
Game 2: Twins vs. Astros, 8:03 p.m. ET, FS1
Tuesday, October 10
Game 3: Astros vs. Twins, 4:07 p.m. ET, Fox
Wednesday, October 11
Game 4 (if necessary): Astros vs. Twins, 2:07 p.m. ET, FS1
Friday, October 13
Game 5 (if necessary): Twins vs. Astros, 4:07 p.m. ET, FS1
How to watch the game 1
date: Saturday, October 7 | time: 4:45 p.m. ET
Place: Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas)
TV channel: FS1 (Game airs on FS2 and MLB Network, Orioles-Rangers end) | Live Streaming: fubo (Free trial)
Starting Pitcher: RHP Bailey Ober (8-6, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (13-8, 3.22 ERA)
Astros vs. Twins odds
Series odds: Hou -170 | Minutes +143
Game 1 Odds: Hou -157 | Minutes +133 | Out/Out: 8.0
Preview
Perhaps the most notable thing about this game was the Astros’ performance at home. This hasn’t been an issue before, but they’re 39-42 at Minute Maid Park this season, tied with teams like the Buccaneers and Angels in terms of home performance. Their last three home series look like this:
- Lost two of three games to Team A
- Lost to Orioles in two games in three games
- Sweeped by Royals in three games
The Twins are 40-41 on the road, which is hardly encouraging, but the A’s or Royals aren’t even decent road teams.
Verlander can help on the mound for the Astros, but he has been inconsistent at age 40. He had some great starts, but was also inspired by the Marlins, Yankees and Athletics during his time with the Astros.
prophecy
I don’t know what’s going on with the Astros at home, but until they prove they’ve figured it out, I’m going to roll with the punches. Pick: Twins 5, Astros 4
