Twins' Shortstop Carlos Correa - Abbie Parr/AP Photo
The Minnesota Twins needed a spark as they prepared to play the Houston Astros in Game 2 of their American League Division Series. The Twins’ rally was stopped by the Houston bullpen in Saturday’s 6-4 loss. Manager Rocco Baldelli and his team were looking to even the series and take the affair back to Target Field and their home fans.
Not only did they receive a spark in their 6-2 victory on Sunday night. But it was a double spark night as two of their stars came through in a big way to help the Twins defeat the Astros.
Lopez was Lights Out for the Twins
First, starter Pablo Lopez pitched one of the best games of his career. He pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven batters. He was in command of all five of his pitches and the ball seemed to explode out of his hand.
The studio commentators were effusive in their praise of Lopez. They predicted that he would be one of the elite pitchers in baseball for the near future.
The other spark was provided by Carlos Correa who was the Twins offensive and defensive star of the game. Correa went 3-4 for the night and drove in three runs. His double in the first sent Jorge Polanco home with the Twins’ first score.
Then in the fifth inning, he hit a single to centerfield to score Michael A. Taylor and Donovan Solano. His 2023 post-season totals stand at eight hits and four runs batted in. And with his third RBI of the night, he tied David Justice for third most postseason RBIs with 63.
Correa was Outstanding in the Field Once Again
Also, after a standout night defensively in Game 1, he raised the bar even higher on Sunday. With two out in the ninth inning, Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena hit a screamer in the hole. Correa dove to his right, picked up the ball, and threw a strike to Alex Kirilloff at first base to record the last out of the game.
Twins third baseman Kyle Farmer added a two-run dinger in the second inning to push their lead to 3-0. And Eddy Julien singled home Royce Lewis in the seventh to cap the Twins scoring. For the Astros, Yordan Alverez crushed a two-run dinger in the eight for his third home run of the series.
Twins Go Home for Game 3
For today’s game the Twins send out Cy Young award candidate Sonny Gray. The Astro starter will be Christian Javier who won 10 games for Houston this season. The Twins received some positive player news today when it was announced that Lewis would make his first start at third base this postseason. He had been relegated to DH duties as he recovered from a hamstring injury,
