FILE - Minnesota Twins' Carlos Correa hits an RBI double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, in Minneapolis. In a wild twist overnight, Carlos Correa agreed to a $315 million, 12-year contract with the free-spending New York Mets after his pending deal with the San Francisco Giants came apart over an issue with his physical. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

Carlos Correa and Twins Power Over Astros to Even ALDS

Jesse Simmons October 9, 2023 MLB, MLB Playoffs 1,081 Views

Carlos Correa, power hitting shortstop for the Minnesota Twins is facing a familiar foe.

So familiar, that he spent a majority of his career being one of the anchors of a flagship team, the Houston Astros, who are no strangers to playoff baseball and World Championship runs.

These Texas juggernauts are the reigning 2022 World Series Champions, having competed in three of the last five World Series.

https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1711219626154017077

However, the tides could be shifting after a dominant performance by Correa and starting pitcher Pablo López, as the Twins evened the ALDS series at a game apiece and are heading back home.

Coming Out Swinging

The Twins got right to work, striking in the first inning at Minute Maid Park, when Correa smacked an RBI double. Kyle Farmer followed up the next inning with a two-run homer, his first of the postseason to make it 3-0.

Carlos added to his postseason prowess with another two-run single to center in the fifth stretching the lead to 5-0. Correa finished with three hits, a walk and three RBI’s on the day.

In addition, he added himself to a notable all-time postseason leaderboard, passing the likes of Derek Jeter and David Ortiz on the way.

Minnesota jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a single from Edouard Julien in the seventh that wouldn’t be given up, even following a two-run blast from Yordan Alvarez in the eighth cutting the lead to 6-2.

Alvarez, coming off a two-homer performance in Game 1, is absolutely slashing through the postseason with a .429 average and 5 RBI’s in just two games.

Additionally, the Cuban star is continuing his case for an AL batting title, coming off a 31-homer season with 97 RBI’s.

Pablo’s Perfect Pitching

Coming off an All-Star campaign in 2023, Minnesota pitcher Pablo López has been the one-two punch with Sonny Gray in the Twins’ rotation.

Going deep into his Game 2 start, López ran his pitch count to 105 pitches in the seven innings, with 69 strikes.

This gave the Twins the needed support to bring momentum back home and get in the driver’s seat of the ALDS.

Up Next

Carlos Correa touched on how important the Twins’ preparation will be heading back home to take a lead in the best-of-five series against his former team.

Houston right-hander Cristian Javier (10-5, 4.56 ERA) takes on Minnesota right-hander Sonny Gray (8-8, 2.79 ERA) in Game 3 on Tuesday.

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