Byron Buxton and Yordan Alvarez go head-to-head in a showdown of top-five power hitters when the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros meet at Target Field, at 7:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Buxton has 15 home runs (fourth in league) for the Twins, while Alvarez is fourth with 15 dingers for the Astros. Zebby Matthews (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will start for the Twins, who are 22-26 this season and third in the AL Central. Lance McCullers (2-3, 6.86 ERA) is starting for the Astros, who are 19-30 and fourth in the AL West.

How to watch Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins

Astros vs. Twins odds

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Injury reports

Twins

Garrett Acton: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Cole Sands: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Cody Laweryson: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Taj Bradley: 15 Day IL (Pectoral), Mick Abel: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Pablo Lopez: 60 Day IL (Elbow), David Festa: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Byron Buxton: day-to-day (Hip), Ryan Jeffers: day-to-day (Wrist)

Astros

Joey Loperfido: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Carlos Correa: 10 Day IL (Ankle), Jake Meyers: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Taylor Trammell: 10 Day IL (Groin), Jose Altuve: 10 Day IL (Side), Yainer Diaz: 10 Day IL (Abdominal), Nate Pearson: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Bennett Sousa: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Hayden Wesneski: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Hunter Brown: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Ronel Blanco: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Brandon Walter: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Cristian Javier: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Josh Hader: 60 Day IL (Biceps)

Stats to know

• Minnesota’s Buxton has hit 15 home runs this season, which ranks 4th in MLB. He has also tallied 23 RBIs and has scored 33 runs. In 185 plate appearances, he has recorded a .260 BA, .319 OBP and .580 SLG with a 7% walk rate and a 25.4% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording four steals on four attempts.
• In 148 plate appearances, Ryan Jeffers is hitting .295/.408/.541 with a .949 OPS. He has hit seven long balls, driven in 26 runs and scored 26 times.
• Houston’s Alvarez is slashing .316/.427/.633 this season with 15 home runs (4th in MLB), 31 RBIs (13th in MLB) and an OPS of 1.060 (2nd in MLB). He has a 16% strikeout rate and a 14.6% walk rate in 213 plate appearances, and he has scored 30 total runs.
• In 198 plate appearances, Christian Walker has posted a 19.2% strikeout rate and a 9.1% walk rate while slashing .267/.343/.511 with 11 home runs (18th in MLB), 31 RBIs (13th in MLB) and 27 runs scored.

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