MINNEAPOLIS — Twins manager Rocco Baldelli apparently doesn't believe in the old axiom "Don't mess with a good thing."
Two days after a resounding 6-2 win in Houston, the Twins skipper is making a few tweaks to his starting lineup for Tuesday's Game 3 at Target Field.
After serving as DH for the Wild Card series against Toronto and the first two games of the ALDS, the problematic hamstring that kept Royce Lewis out of the field has improved enough that he will start at third base. That triggers an infield domino effect that moves Jorge Polanco from third to second, and Edouard Julien from second to DH.
In the outfield, utility man Willie Castro takes over for Michael A. Taylor in center. Both have excellent speed but Castro is a switch hitter and offers Baldelli more flexibility for substitutions due to his ability to play infield as well. Taylor has gone 2 for 11 while starting the past four playoff games.
Here is the full Twins lineup and batting order.
Twins lineup:
- 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
- C Ryan Jeffers, R
- CF Willi Castro, S
Here is the lineup and batting order released by Houston manager Dusty Baker.
Astros lineup:
- Jose Altuve (R) 2B
- Alex Bregman (R) 3B
- Yordan Alvarez (L) LF
- Kyle Tucker (L) RF
- Jose Abreu (R) 1B
- Yainer Diaz (R) DH
- Mauricio Dubon (R) CF
- Jeremy Pena (R) SS
- Martin Maldonado (R) C
Sonny Gray will attempt to win his second game of the post-season for the Twins as he faces off against the potent Astros lineup. Gray is known for his bulldog-like mentality and tendency to go right at hitters. Countering on the mound for the Astros is Cristian Javier, throwing his first game of the 2023 playoffs. Javier combined with several relievers to no-hit the Phillies during the 2022 World Series but has not been the same pitcher this year.
Game 3 at Target Field will start at 3:07 p.m. CST. It is considered sold out, but tickets may be available via secondary sites like SeatGeek and StubHub.
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