Three-game series at Minute Maid Park
All games on BSN, 830 AM and 102.9 FM
7:10 p.m. Friday: RHP Pablo López (4-5, 5.25 ERA) vs. RHP Ronel Blanco (5-0, 1.99)
3:10 p.m. Saturday: RHP Joe Ryan (4-3, 2.96 ERA) vs. LHP Framber Valdez (3-3, 4.34)
1:10 p.m. Sunday: RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (2-0, 2.70 ERA) vs. RHP Hunter Brown (1-5, 6.39)
Twins update
The Twins begin a nine-game, 10-day road trip after concluding a a seven-game homestand on Thursday with a 7-6 victory over Kansas City. The Twins (31-25) won three of four from the Royals and went 5-2 on the homestand. … The Twins and Houston are meeting for the first time this season. The Twins, who are 8-2 against AL West teams, were 4-2 against the Astros during the regular season in 2023 before losing to the Astros in the ALDS series, 3-1. … The Twins, who have won seven of their past nine games and are 15-12 in May, are 24-5 this season when scoring four or more runs. … The Twins are 15-12 in road games this season.
Houston update
The Astros (25-32), who are in third place in the AL West, return after finishing a seven-game road trip with a 4-0 victory over the Mariners in Seattle. The victory ended a three-game losing streak for the Astros. … Going into Thursday’s game, the Astros led the majors in batting average (.259) while striking out the fewest times (382) among MLB teams. … Blanco threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season in a 10-0 victory over Toronto on April 1 in Houston. It was the eighth career major-league start for the 30-year old righthander. … OF Kyle Tucker is the first player in Astros history to hit 18 home runs in the club’s first 53 games of a season. OF Jake Meyers is hitting .333 (27-for-81) this month raise his average to .290. … RHP Cristian Javier (right forearm discomfort) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday.
