Astros vs Twins Preview & Prediction: Records, pitching matchups, head to head and more | Game 1, May 31, 2024
The clash between two American league divisions will take place starting on Friday, May 31, 2024, when the AL West's Houston Astros will be facing the AL Central's Minnesota Twins.
Both teams have had a pretty turbulent season so far and would surely try to register a series win this time when they face each other on Friday at the 'Stros' home ground, Minute Maid Stadium.
The Astros are currently standing at the third spot of the AL West table with a 25-32 record, while the Twins are also standing at the third position in the AL Central table, with 31-25 record.
Astros vs. Twins: Preview
After preventing from being swept off in the series against the Seattle Mariners by winning the series finale 4-0 on Thursday, the Astros are now set to start a new series against the Twins.
The Astros have won two of the last four series that they have played. They recently faced a three-game losing streak, which the team finally broke out of by winning the series finale against the Mariners.
On the other hand, so far this season, the Twins have won three of the four series, including the 3-1 series victory in the four-game series against the Kansas City Royals.
Astros vs. Twins: Predictions
Even though they are not in their brightest form, the Astros have shown in last night's performance that they still have what it takes to bounce back and win it all. They are the favorites to win this series against the Twins.
The Twinkies' pitchers have to handle Joe Espada's side's fierce hitting lineup. Even if the Twins succeed in stopping them from adding much on the scoreboard, they still have to face the Astros' pitching prowess with the likes of Josh Hader, Justin Verlander, and Ryan Pressly, who will surely be a huge challenge for the Twins hitters to face.
Recently, the Twinkies have also shown some great performances and will surely put up a great fight against the Astros in Game 1.
Astros vs. Twins: Head-to-Head
Game 1 of the Astros vs. Twins series will be played on Friday, May 1 at 8:10 PM EDT. Fans can see the live telecast of this game on MLB Network and it will also be streamed online on FUBO TV.
So far in their MLB career, both of these teams have faced each other in the regular season 83 times. The Astros have had the upper hand as they won 44 of those games while the rest 39 were won by the Twins.
Astros vs. Twins: Pitching Predictions
Ronel Blanco will take up the mound for the Astros on Friday against the Twins. The 30-year-old flamethrower has played and started nine games for the Astros so far this season and holds a record of 5-0. Blanco has an ERA of 1.99, along with a WHIP of 1.01 and 51 strikeouts under his belt so far.
On the other hand, for the Twins, Pablo Lopez will start on the mound to face the Astros. The 28-year-old Venezuelan pitcher has played and started 11 games for the Twinkies this regular season with a 4-5 record. He has an ERA of 5.25, a WHIP of 1.17, and has made 69 strikeouts so far this season.
Astros vs. Twins: Players to watch out for
For Astros, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena are a few of the stars who have been in decent form and helped out the team whenever needed. Kyle Tucker has also been in terrific form this season, being one of the top 3 stars on the MLB HR leaders table.
For the Twinkies, Ryan Jeffers, Carlos Correa, Willi Castro, and Max Kepler are the players to watch out for as they have all been providing some decent performances and helping the team maintain this successful campaign this year so far.
Both teams look quite efficient with quite a few names to keep an eye out for. Fans and loyal supporters of both clubs can expect a nail-biter of a match on Friday as the two teams face each other for the 84th time in their history.