The Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros have each struck a blow thus far in their best-of-five ALDS, with each game serving as a sort of proof of concept: Houston’s stars got the long ball going early and often in Game 1, while Minnesota’s pitching struck back in Game 2 behind a dominant Pablo Lopez. Now the scene shifts to the Midwest for a pivotal Game 3 — win and you’re one game away from the ALCS, lose and your season is suddenly on the brink.
The Astros will send righty Cristian Javier (10-5, 4.56 ERA) to the mound looking to take back home-field advantage, while the Twins counter with Sonny Gray (8-8, 2.79). First pitch from Target Field is set for 4:07 p.m. ET. The Twins are the -135 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Astros are the +114 underdogs, and the run total is set at 8.
Minnesota has released their lineup for today’s game, so let’s take a look at how they’ll line up against Javier.
Twins starting lineup, ALDS Game 3, October 10
Twins’ lineup vs. RHP Cristian Javier:
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) October 10, 2023
DH Edouard Julien, L
2B Jorge Polanco, S
RF Max Kepler, L
3B Royce Lewis, R
SS Carlos Correa, R
1B Alex Kirilloff, L
LF Matt Wallner, L
CF Willi Castro, S
C Ryan Jeffers, R
Lewis returns to 3B. Castro subs for Taylor to max out lefty bats.
After changing things up against lefty Framber Valdez in Game 2, the Twins are back to their usual righty lineup today, with Edouard Julien leading off and Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff both starting. Matt Wallner will man left field, with Willi Castro spelling Michael A. Taylor in center.