The Astros are 19-29 and the injured list reads like a depth chart. Altuve just hit the shelf with a Grade 2 oblique strain, Correa is headed for ankle surgery that will likely cost him the year, and they're still waiting on Hunter Brown and Josh Hader to even sniff a rehab assignment. Jeremy Pena at least traveled with the team and could be back in the lineup at some point in this series, which counts as good news these days in Houston.
- Day-To-DayWalker Janek C — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Janek on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayLucas Spence OF — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Spence on its 7-day injured list April 22 due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILJeremy Pena SS — Pena (hamstring/neck) rejoined the Astros on Sunday and will travel with the team for Monday's series opener in Minnesota, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJake Meyers CF — Meyers (oblique) is slated to begin a rehab assignment this week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILCarlos Correa SS — Correa is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday in Houston to repair the tendon in his left ankle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJoey Loperfido LF — The Astros announced Monday that Loperfido (quadriceps) has started light running and light baseball activity, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILTaylor Trammell CF — The Astros announced Monday that Trammell (groin) has begun a running progression in addition to taking part in light baseball activity, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILYainer Diaz C — The Astros placed Diaz (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayByron Buxton CF — Buxton (hip) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.
- Day-To-DayCory Lewis SP — Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta said Thursday that Lewis (shoulder) is still a couple weeks away from throwing off a mound, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
- Day-To-DayJulian Merryweather RP — Merryweather (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with the Twins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
- Day-To-DayMatt Canterino SP — Canterino (shoulder) will be with the Twins in big-league spring training but isn't expected to pitch during camp as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins CF — Jenkins was diagnosed Monday with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his left shoulder and will be re-evaluated in 10 days, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILTaj Bradley SP — Bradley (pectoral) will embark on a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Audra Martin of FanDuel Sports Network North reports.
- 15-Day-ILCody Laweryson RP — The Twins placed Laweryson (forearm) on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Thursday.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Acton RP — The Twins placed Acton on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right shoulder strain, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The Tatsuya Imai experiment is not going well. The big-money signing from NPB carries a 9.24 ERA into Target Field after getting tagged for 6 runs in 4 innings by Seattle his last time out. Joe Espada confirmed Imai is making this start regardless — there's no one else to give the ball to with Brown, Blanco, Wesneski, Walter and Javier all on the IL. Kendry Rojas counters for Minnesota at 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA, which is the kind of pitching matchup the line is screaming about.
The Twins aren't exactly hitting on all cylinders themselves at 21-26, and Byron Buxton was out of Sunday's lineup with a hip issue that's worth monitoring before first pitch. Pablo Lopez and David Festa are both on the 60-day, so the rotation depth is thin here too — but at least the guy they're sending out tonight has been the best pitcher in this game by a country mile.
Pinnacle has Minnesota at -114 with the run line a coin flip at Twins -1 (+127) / Astros +1 (-143). The total sits at 9.5. Given Imai's ERA is essentially a bowling score and Houston is missing roughly half its starting position-player core, the market pricing the Astros at +106 on the moneyline feels generous to Houston, not Minnesota.
This is the kind of game where you squint at the Astros and try to find the angle — they've still got Yordan, they've still got Bregman if you're reading this from a parallel universe where he stayed, and they've won 3 of their last 5. But the rotation is held together with duct tape, the lineup is patchwork, and Rojas has been legit. Twins fans should feel decent about the opener.