Astros Lineup vs. Twins: Houston Attempting to Pounce on Joe Ryan in Series Finale

Something magical and strange could happen on Wednesday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Houston Astros, who have been middling for the majority of the season, have the opportunity to win their second series in a row. All they have to do is claim victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Winning in 2026 for the Astros has not been an easy endeavor. Whether it be poor offensive showings or unfortunate pitching performances, something always seems to be going wrong. Could May 20 be the day that everything changes?

If Houston is to pick up the series win, it’ll have to contend with one of the better pitchers in the American League, Joe Ryan. Ryan, who was slated to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic this past March but didn’t end up on the roster due to an injury, has had a good start to his 2026 campaign.

Through 10 appearances, he has a 3.20 ERA and 52 strikeouts. Anybody familiar with Ryan’s game knows that’s just par for the course.

Even though Ryan is a righty, the Astros have just one lefty, Yordan Alvarez, in their lineup. This isn’t all that surprising, especially when one considers what options Houston has offensively. The advantage is still in Ryan’s hands, however.

Right-handed hitters are slashing just .187/.259/.267 with no home runs and only six extra-base hits against them this season, meaning that the Astros are going to have their work cut out for them if they’re going to triumph over the Twins.

Astros Lineup on May 20 vs. Twins

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena. | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

1. SS Jeremy Peña
2. 3B Isaac Paredes
3. DH Yordan Alvarez (L)
4. 1B Christian Walker
5. CF Jake Meyers
6. LF Zach Dezenzo
7. 2B Brice Matthews
8. RF Cam Smith
9. C Christian Vázquez

While pretty much the entirety of the Astros’ lineup has some experience against Ryan, most of it is fairly limited. Only Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker and Jeremy Peña have a large sample size of at-bats versus Ryan.

Alvarez, by far, has had the most success, as he’s put up a 1.304 OPS with three home runs and seven RBI in 14 at-bats against the righty from San Francisco. Paredes, too, has found that he’s been able to hit off Ryan. In 11 at-bats, Paredes has an .878 OPS with one home run and one RBI. Walker has a 1.089 OPS with one home run in seven at-bats as well.

That’s really it, though. On paper, everything stacks up for Ryan to have his way with the Astros in the series finale. But baseball is a fickle and strange game — anything can happen over a nine-inning sample.

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