It's all tied up in the American League Division Series, the Twins rebounding from Saturday's opening game loss with a 6-2 win Sunday night in Houston.
Pablo Lopez was brilliant again. Lopez, who was the winning pitcher in the Twins' wild-card series-opening win over Toronto, went seven shutout innings giving up six hits, striking seven and walking just one.
And his partner in Houston was former Astro Carlos Correa, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI's and a brilliant, diving snag and bullet throw to first to end the game.
Lopez becomes just the third Twins pitcher to throw seven shutout innings in a postseason game, joining Johan Santana in 2004 and, of course, the Jack Morris 10-inning masterpiece in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.
The Twins got things going early off Houston starter Framber Valdez. A double off the left-centerfield wall by Correa plated Jorge Polanco, who had walked.
Then in the second, a leadoff single from Willi Castro brought Kyle Farmer to the plate and he turned on a fastball out over the plate and launched it into the leftfield stands for a 3-0 lead.
Just like he was in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against Toronto, Twins starter Lopez was dynamite early and cruised through seven innings.
The Astros' only threat against the righthander came in the fourth, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. But Lopez fanned Chas McCormick on three straight pitches get out of the jam and keep the 'Stros scoreless.
"I think he was completely locked in," Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game. "Anyone watching can see the stuff is, it's exceptional."
Twins bats woke up again against Valdez in the fifth when Michael A. Taylor and Donavon Solano started the inning with singles. A walk to Royce Lewis brought up Correa again, and he delivered a rocket single to centerfield to score two more runs. With the Twins up 5-0 that was it for Valdez.
Correa’s two-run single gave him 63 career RBIs in the playoffs, tying David Justice for third-most in MLB history. He celebrated by pounding his chest and shouting “Let’s go,” before pointing to his ecstatic dugout.
The Astros survived the fifth without any more damage even after the Twins loaded the bases when Farmer struck out.
The Twins added some more insurance in the seventh. Correa stayed hot with a ringing double off the leftfield wall after Lewis singled. Jeffers was hit by a pitch bringing up Willi Castro with one out. He struck out looking on a fastball that appeared to be out of the zone. But he was picked up by Edouard Julien, who pinch-hit and delivered an RBI single to right making it 6-0. Correa was thrown out at the plate on the play.
The Astros finally struck in the eighth off Brock Stewart when Yordan Alvarez hit his third home run of the series already, a two-run opposite field shot to make it 6-2. Stewart got out of the inning without anymore damage, and Duran closed things down with a 1-2-3 ninth and that diving play by Correa for the final out.
The Twins now return home to Minnesota where they'll host Game 3 Tuesday afternoon at Target Field. Pregame begins at 2:00 p.m. and first pitch just after 3:00. Hear the game on 830 WCCO, 102.9 The Wolf and the Audacy App (in-market restrictions apply).