Bailey Ober will take the mound Saturday for the Twins in Game 1 against the Astros in the American League Division Series.
Ober registered an 8-6 record in 2023 with a 3.43 ERA and 146 strikeouts. In his career, the 28-year-old has 4.50 ERA against the Astros, allowing Houston hitters a .333 batting average while giving up three home runs. Ober did not pitch against Houston in 2023.
In his last five starts, Ober is 2-0 with a 3.51 ERA while allowing 5 home runs and 10 earned runs against the Rangers, White Sox, Reds, A’s and Rockies.
He will face the Astros’ undisputed ace Justin Verlander, who has a 16-11 record playoff career with a 3.64 ERA.
After starting Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray in the Wild Card series against the Blue Jays, Baldelli is leaning on Ober over the likes of Joe Ryan and Kenta Maeda for Game 1.
Ryan was 11-10 with a 4.51 ERA this season, allowing 17 earned runs in his last five games. Maeda had a 4.23 ERA in 20 starts in 2023, allowing just eight runs in 25 innings of work over his last five starts.
First pitch between the Twins and Astros is set for 3:45 p.m. CT Saturday in Houston.
