Astros 5, Twins 2: Houston takes off against Ryan – Twins

The score of the box
SP: Joe Ryan 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (95 pitches, 58 strikes, 9 whiffs)
Home Runs: N/A
Last 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-.247), Christian Vazquez (-.092), Willi Castro (-.045)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Longball beats Ryan early
Joe Ryan took the mound against the Houston Astros for the first time since facing them in the 2023 American League Division Series. Completing just two innings in this contest and facing eight batters, he allowed one run on two hits. The Astros’ lineup is largely unchanged from this series, but the results have been noticeably different this season.

After getting Jose Altuve to pop out to open the game, Ryan walked Kyle Tucker and allowed Yordan Alvarez to kick off the scoring with a big fly. Led 2-0 after the first round, Houston recovered Ryan again in the 2nd round. Jose Abreu recently returned from his first trip to the minors, and he’s figured out his swing enough to throw another Ryan ball into the seats. Tucker tagged Ryan for a dinger in the third inning, and he had now given up three on the day despite allowing only seven in his first 11 starts.

The barrage continues
Despite entering the contest with an HR/9 below 1.0 for the first time in his career, Ryan experienced a major regression against the Astros. Houston wasn’t done with the longball after the first three, as Alvarez got Ryan yet again, for Ryan’s fourth homer of the game. The designated hitter’s solo shot in the fifth inning made it 5-0 and closed the book on Minnesota’s go-ahead day.

It wasn’t until Manuel Margot led off the seventh inning with a single against Framber Valdez that the Twins put a walk in the hit column. Advancing to second base on a wild pitch, Margot scored Minnesota’s first run when Jose Miranda singled and brought it home. Miranda also advanced on a wild pitch before Byron Buxton took a seven-pitch walk. With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, the Twins had something to prepare for. But Willi Castro failed and one was all they would get.

Diego works
Veteran Diego Castillo came to work in the sixth inning in relief of Ryan, and he shut down the Astros for two innings. Working around two hits and a walk, he struck out one and continued to maintain the perfect 0.00 ERA since joining the Twins.

Finally arriving at the Houston bullpen in the eighth inning, Minnesota immediately put runners on the line against Bryan Abreu. An Edouard Julien single and a Carlos Santana walk put them in business with no one left. Christian Vazquez continued his horrible season, killing a scoring opportunity with a double play. Max Kepler struck out Margot and drew a walk, extending the inning for Carlos Correa. The former Juice Box shortstop hit a broken-bat single to score Julien, but Ryan Jeffers couldn’t bring in the tying run.

Josh Staumont got the bottom of the inning for Minnesota, and although he continued to throw zeroes, the velocity was noticeably down today. With a top speed of 91.8 mph on his ballast, he was about 3 mph below his season average. Josh Hader came on for the ninth inning and shut down the Twins in order. Buxton had a homer robbed by Jake Meyers by jumping against the wall, but that was the extent of the threat. Winning the series will depend on a victory on Sunday.

Remarks
Royce Lewis had a day off for Triple-A St. Paul, and Sunday’s action is expected to be his last before returning to the majors. Walker Jenkins had a three-hit day in FCL action, and Saints catcher Jair Camargo joined him on a rehab assignment, collecting a double.

And after?
Simeon Woods Richardson will face Hunter Brown on Sunday as the Minnesota Twins wrap up a series with the Houston Astros. After an off day on Monday, they will host the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Royce Lewis is expected to join the team.

Post-match interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet