Joe Ryan (5-4, 3.18 ERA) draws Mike Burrows (3-8, 5.48 ERA) for Tuesday's 7:10 PM CT first pitch at Daikin Park. Those numbers tell a pretty clear story about where each club stands with its starting pitcher — Ryan has been steady and trade-deadline attractive all summer, Burrows has been a liability more often than not. That said, Burrows' last outing was legitimately encouraging: 6 innings, 1 earned run, 2 hits against Toronto on June 24, his best start since early May.
Ryan wasn't flawless in his last turn either — he took the loss against the Dodgers, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings — but his season line speaks to what he's been doing since May, and his name has been circulating in trade deadline chatter with the Cubs and Braves reportedly interested. A pitcher on the move tends to show up and compete. The bigger headline walking into this game is Houston's shortstop situation, which has gone from thin to genuinely dire.
- Day-To-DayByron Buxton CF — Buxton is being considered day-to-day due to a right hip impingement, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayRicardo Olivar C — Triple-A St. Paul transferred Olivar from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day IL on June 4 while he recovers from a right knee sprain, Twins writer Brandon Warne 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.
- 10-Day-ILRyan Jeffers C — Jeffers (hand) was spotted taking swings in the batting cage and catching a bullpen session Monday, Theodore Tollefson of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAnthony Banda RP — The Twins placed Banda on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left lat strain.
- 15-Day-ILBailey Ober SP — Ober (elbow) struck out one batter and allowed three earned runs on seven hits and no walks over 3.1 innings in a rehab start Sunday with High-A Cedar Rapids.
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel SP — Abel will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.
- Day-To-DayWalker Janek C — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Janek on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILLaMonte Wade Jr. 1B — Wade (hamstring) has resumed taking batting practice and shagging flyballs and is expected to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment soon, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBraden Shewmake SS — The Astros announced Monday that Shewmake (adductor) has taken part in baseball activity and is working his way through a running progression at the team's facility in Florida, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 15-Day-ILLance McCullers Jr. SP — McCullers (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILBennett Sousa RP — The Astros announced Friday that Sousa (elbow) has begun a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILCristian Javier SP — Javier (shoulder) struck out five and allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks across 4.2 innings Sunday in his rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.
- 60-Day-ILRonel Blanco SP — Blanco (elbow) struck out five over three scoreless frames in his first rehab start with the Astros' Florida Complex League affiliate Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter SP — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Jeremy Pena is heading to the 10-day IL with a left calf strain, and Carlos Correa is already long gone following ankle surgery. Houston is running out of options up the middle. On Minnesota's side, Byron Buxton is day-to-day with a right hip impingement — always a concerning phrase with a guy who has spent significant time on injured lists throughout his career — and the Twins rotation is down Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, and Mick Abel simultaneously. Both teams are playing shorthanded, but the Astros' position-player attrition is the sharper cut right now.
The Twins arrive at 41-45 having won 3 of their last 5, including last night's series opener. Houston is 42-45 and had been building real momentum — a 3-1 road trip through Detroit — before dropping game 1 at home to a Minnesota team that has no business running off series wins against anyone right now. Neither club is running away with anything in the AL wild-card picture, and in late June every series split stings a little more than it should. For the Astros, Tuesday is a straight bounce-back spot. Whether Burrows can hold it together long enough to make that happen is the actual question.