HOUSTON — This seems familiar.
The American League Division Series is now a best-of-three, and the Twins can finish it off and advance simply by winning a couple of times at Target Field. It was an achievable goal last week against Toronto, and the Twins certainly feel, after Sunday's 6-2 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park, that it's an achievable goal this week, too.
"I feel like we're in the driver's seat right now," center fielder Michael A. Taylor said. "Honestly, we just believe in ourselves, so even if we had dropped this game, we'd still feel pretty good. To take them on at their place and go home tied, with Sonny [Gray] going in Game 3, it feels like we're in a really good spot."
Game 3 is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start on Tuesday.
Taylor pointed out one of the biggest reasons the Twins' clubhouse was oozing with confidence Sunday — Gray, their Cy Young-caliber righthander, with the AL's second-lowest ERA and a pair of effective starts against the Astros this year, will start Game 3 in his home park. But their chances, admittedly just on paper, are even better than that: Pablo López, who dominated Houston for seven shutout innings Sunday, would be on the mound, on regular rest, back here in Houston if a Game 5 becomes necessary.
"Those two guys, they've done it all season for us. [The Astros] are a fantastic team, but it's our best going at them," said reliever Emilio Pagán. "We knew it was going to be a hard battle the whole time. But we're a very confident team. So we liked our chances when we started, and we like them now."
The Astros will turn to Christian Javier, a righthander who has never started a game against the Twins, on Tuesday, and perhaps veteran José Urquidy or rookie J.P. France, both right-handers, on Wednesday. They'll face a Twins offense that finally scored more than four runs on Sunday, fueled by Carlos Correa's two doubles and a single, and Kyle Farmer's first career postseason hit, a two-run home run into the Crawford Boxes in left field.
"Carlos and Pablo put the team on their back, and Farmer's big swing early got us going, too," Pagán said. "But that's why you go out and get a Carlos Correa and a Pablo López. They win you games. They do it just like that. And it's very cool to watch."
And play alongside, too, Donovan Solano said, sounding in awe of his teammate.
Correa "is so clutch. Playoffs, I feel like I see another Carlos," Solano said. "The postseason is where he likes to play. He's prepared for these moments. It inspires us to do something special this year, something we'll remember our whole lives."
He and Farmer will remember their own contributions, too. Solano followed Taylor's fifth-inning single with one of his own, helping to set up a bases-loaded at-bat for Correa. Naturally, Correa came through with a two-run single.
"I said it before, he's like Iron Man. He puts that playoff mask on, and he's unstoppable," Farmer said. "He puts on a show and he gets really locked in. It's really awesome to watch."
Just like the rest of this series should be. And if there's a Game 5 next Friday, it could come with a compelling marquee matchup: Pablo López vs. Justin Verlander.
"Let's hope it's not necessary. Let's hope we can end it at home," Pagán said. "But if it happens, you know it's going to be great TV."
