The Houston Astros defeated the Minnesota Twins 9-1 in game three on Tuesday evening at Target Field. The victory gives Houston a 2-1 series lead, needed just one more win to reach yet another ALCS.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Twins turned to right-handed Sonny Gray on the mound, who was excellent in his start during the Wild Card round. However, the Astros got to him right away in game three. Jose Altuve led off with a single. Then, Yordan Alvarez doubled and Kyle Tucker singled to score Altuve. Then, Jose Abreu followed with a three-run homer and it was 4-0 before everyone had settled into their seats at Target Field.
The Astros also went with a right-hander, opting for Cristian Javier. Javier had an up and down 2023, but has been very good in his postseason career. The Twins threatened in the first, but Javier got game two hero Carlos Correa to strike out to end the frame with the Astros still leading 4-0.
Both starters began to settle in and trade zeroes at this point. There was traffic at times, as Javier allowed the first two to reach in the third. However, he navigated three straight to get out of that inning with no harm done.
The Astros offense got back to work in the top of the fifth. Alex Bregman led off the inning with a solo home run to extend the lead to 5-0. Alvarez doubled and Tucker walked, which then chased Gray from the ballgame after four plus innings.
The Twins would load the bases with just one out in the fifth, partly due to a controversial ball four call on what looked to be a foul tip into the catcher’s mitt. However, Javier danced out of trouble with two strikeouts to keep the game 5-0 through five innings.
Houston added another in the top of the sixth. Bregman delivered his second RBI, this time courtesy of an RBI single to score Jeremy Peña. That made the lead 6-0.
Javier was relieved to start the sixth by Hunter Brown. The Twins got on the board in the inning with an RBI single from Willi Castro. However, a sparkling double play started by Peña got Brown out of the jam with no further damage and the Astros leading 6-1.
Alvarez hit his fourth home run already in the series, and Abreu hit his second of the game, a two run shot to extend the lead to 9-1 in the ninth. The Astros’ bullpen cruised through the final few frames to secure the victory and give the Astros a 2-1 series advantage.
BIG NUMBER: 9
The Astros scored nine runs in game three. That’s also the number of strikeouts Cristian Javier recorded against the Twins.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cristian Javier
The offense was excellent in this game. However, the Astros needed Cristian Javier to give them some length. He was excellent, tossing five shutout innings. That allowed Houston to save their other two starters for game four tomorrow, and also have their bullpen fresh.
UP NEXT: Game four between the Astros and Twins will be tomorrow at 1:07 PM. You can listen to all the action on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.