The Twins’ idea to run out a different pitcher inning-by-inning worked as well as expected, keeping the hard-hitting Astros from piling up the runs.
They couldn’t come up with a way to do the same with their bats.
Houston got a strong start from Jose Urquidy, zeros from its bullpen, and a two-run home run by Jose Abreu, to beat the Twins 3-2 and take the American League Division Series three games to one.
"I was expecting to go a few more weeks, at least," said Royce Lewis, who turned the baseball world on its ear with four postseason home runs. "And then party into the off-season."
The Astros are in the ALCS for the seventh straight time, and will take on the Texas Rangers, who swept Baltimore in the other division series.
The Twins managed only three hits, two of them home runs, struck out 14 times, and put only three other runners on base against Urquidy and three relievers.
Former Twins reliever Ryan Pressley picked up his second save of the ALDS, striking out Jorge Polanco, Royce Lewis, and Max Kepler in the 9th.
All three batter went to three-and-two before Polanco and Lewis swung and missed. Kepler took a called third strike to end the game, and the Twins' season.
"It's frustrating, but it's part of the game," said Lewis. "We just couldn't come through, and today, we didn't have many opportunities."
Five Twins pitchers were able to keep the game close and gave the crowd of 40,977 at Target Field hope that their team could force a decisive Game Five.
Starter Joe Ryan was pulled after two innings, and after giving up a game-tying homer to Michael Brantley.
"You've got a fresh 'pen, and you don't want to look back and not use some of those guys," said Ryan. "I totally understand the approach. I don't make those decisions, so I'm going to go make pitches as long as I can. I think it worked out pretty well."
Brock Stewart threw a scoreless third, but Caleb Thielbar came in and allowed a lead-off single by Yordan Alvarez, who came around on a two-run, go-ahead shot to right by Jose Abreu.
It was his third home run in the two ALDS games at Target Field.
The Twins drew first blood on Lewis’ fourth postseason home run in the first inning. It could have been more, but Eduardo Julien was doubled off second base after Polanco lined out to short before Lewis came to bat.
For the next four innings, it was the Twins flailing away at pitches thrown by Urquidy.
At one stretch he struck out five straight batters, four of them swinging, while allowing just one baserunner on a walk between the homers by Lewis and Julien. Both shots went to left field, and were five innings apart.
Urquidy got the win, allowing three hits and two runs, striking out six and walking one. Thielbar was tagged with the loss.
The crowd at Target Field was at a fever pitch much of the night. The noise reached a crescendo when Byron Buxton pinch-hit for Michael A. Taylor in the 8th.
But with the red Homer Hankies flying and the ballpark's club level literally shaking, Buxton popped out weakly to first base.
In the two games at Target Field, the Twins managed three runs on six hits, while striking out 28 times.
The Astros, who are 56-34 in the playoffs since 2017, hit 10 homers in the series. Abreu had eight RBIs.
GOING DEEP
The Astros hit four homers in their 9-1 win in Game 3, even taking Sonny Gray — the runaway major league leader in fewest home runs allowed per nine innings this year — deep twice.
Their patience, confidence and power made Ryan a vulnerable opponent, considering the right-hander was making his first career postseason start after allowing 24 homers over his last 14 turns. Hall of Fame member Bert Blyleven was the only other Twins pitcher to give up that many long balls in a 14-start span.
Twins batters set the all-time record with 1,654 strikeouts this year, a whopping 413 more whiffs than the Astros had with the third-fewest in baseball.
POWER COMPANY
Lewis in just his sixth game tied Greg Gagne with four postseason home runs for the second-most in Twins history, one behind Hall of Fame member Kirby Puckett. Gagne and Puckett each played 24 postseason games on their way to winning World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.
UP NEXT
AL West champion Houston went 9-4 against the wild-card Rangers this season. Texas led the division for most of the year, but the division title went to the Astros when they beat Arizona on the final day of the regular season and the Rangers lost at Seattle.