Minnesota Twins vs. Houston Astros ALDS Game 1: Watch FREE LIVE STREAM Online (10/7/23) | Time, TV, Channel

The Minnesota Twins meet the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series on October 7, 2023.

The Minnesota Twins are set to face off against the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series on October 7, 2023. This matchup will take place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

In the Wild Card Series, which consisted of best-of-three games, four teams emerged victorious in just two games, resulting in sweeps. The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, both road teams, advanced to the next round, while the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies secured victories at home. This marks the seventh sweep out of eight Wild Card Series in the first two years of expanded playoffs.

In the American League, the Texas Rangers will be facing the Baltimore Orioles, who clinched the AL East championship, in the Division Series. On the other hand, the Minnesota Twins, winners of the AL Central, will be taking on the defending World Series champions, the Houston Astros, who claimed the AL West title. This matchup will be particularly interesting as Twins star shortstop Carlos Correa will be facing his former team.

In the National League, the young Arizona Diamondbacks will be squaring off against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won the NL West championship. The defending NL champion Philadelphia Phillies will be heading to Atlanta for a playoff rematch with the Atlanta Braves, who had the best record in the major leagues and secured their sixth straight NL East title this year.

There will be a two-day break before the start of the best-of-five Division Series on Saturday.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Atlanta Braves are the current favorites to win the World Series with odds of +260. They are followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers (+440) and the Houston Astros (+490).

With the elimination of the Milwaukee Brewers, speculation will arise regarding the future of their manager, Craig Counsell. Counsell, who has been the most successful manager in the franchise's history, is currently a free agent and has not discussed his plans beyond this season. Milwaukee has made it to the playoffs five times in the last six years under Counsell's leadership, but they are still in search of their first World Series title. Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio has expressed the club's desire for Counsell to stay.

The Baltimore Orioles, who are making their first playoff appearance since 2016, will have to navigate around a concert at M&T Bank Stadium next door to Camden Yards, where Game 1 of the AL Division Series is scheduled to take place. Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel will be performing at the concert, creating potential parking issues for both events.

The Tampa Bay Rays, who had a strong start to the season with a 13-0 record, were quickly eliminated from the playoffs for the third consecutive year with a 7-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. The Rays had a 33-inning postseason scoreless streak dating back to last year, which was the second-longest streak in MLB history.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are hoping to have catcher Gabriel Moreno back soon after he was struck in the helmet by a backswing during Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. In addition, outfielder Jake McCarthy strained his oblique during batting practice and will require a few weeks to recover. McCarthy was removed from the Diamondbacks' Wild Card Series roster, and Jace Peterson replaced him.

In other Diamondbacks news, general manager Mike Hazen has reportedly signed a new contract through the 2028 season, with a club option for 2029.

This year, baseball has undergone some changes, particularly in terms of pace and running. With the implementation of new rules such as a pitch clock and limits on pitcher disengagements from the rubber, players have been running much more compared to the previous year. The regular season saw a dramatic increase of over 1,000 stolen bases, totaling 3,503. This is the highest number of stolen bases since 1987. This trend is expected to continue throughout the playoffs.

For those looking to watch the later rounds of the playoffs, the games will be broadcast on Fox, FS1, and TBS, following the wild-card rounds that were shown on ABC and ESPN.

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