Little went right for the Minnesota Twins in the third game of their series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night, as the hometown favorites were defeated 9-1 at Target Field.
Despite this return in front of their fans, the Twins were unable to take the lead in this American League semifinal. Their Texas rivals took a 2-1 lead and can eliminate them in Minnesota on Wednesday.
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• Also read: Rangers grab first game
• Also read: The twins back in the series
Édouard Julien and his teammates were manhandled by Cristian Javier, who had an excellent game. The starting pitcher struck out nine hitters in just five innings. Only a single hit was scored while he was on the mound. His five walks allowed did no damage.
That left the Twins limited to three strikes at a safe spot. Carlos Correa crossed the plate in the sixth inning on a single by Willi Castro, but that brief revival led to nothing better.
A gray day for Sonny
Sonny Gray was a logical choice to start the game as pitcher for the hosts. The 33-year-old veteran is the starting playoff scorer who allowed the fewest home runs (8) in the regular season, but that great stat didn’t stop the Astros from having fun.
Jose Abreu found a pitch he liked in the first inning. He and two of his teammates were circling the paths as he lifted the ball into the left field stands in the first inning. In fifth, it was Alex Bregman who punished Gray by alternately extending his arms. The fallen starter allowed eight hits in just four innings.
Abreu didn’t stop there, as toward the end of the game, shortly after Yordan Alvarez’s cannon shot, he hit another home run off reliever Bailey Ober. In addition to dealing with an injury, the man of special occasions leads Major League Baseball with four long balls in the playoffs.
It was a very quiet day at work for Julien, the leadoff hitter on the Twins team. The Quebecer drew two free passes but was also silenced three times while hitting. He was the last player out of the game and had a front row seat to watch Houston celebrate their win.