Six things to know about the Houston Astros, the Twins' opponent in the ALDS

The Twins play the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series. The best-of-five series opens in Houston on Saturday and Sunday, with Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) at Target Field on Tuesday and Wednesday. A deciding Game 5 would be back in Houston on Friday, Oct. 13.

1. They are the defending World Series champions, having beaten Philadelphia in six games last year — including a combined no-hitter by four pitchers in Game 4.

2. After winning the Series and a Cy Young Award, 40-year-old Astros ace Justin Verlander signed a two-year, $86.7 million contract with the Mets. But he returned to Houston at the trade deadline when the Mets decided to rebuild.

3. The likely rotation for Houston is lefthander Framber Valdez (12-11, 3.45 ERA), righthander Verlander (7-3, 3.31) and righthander Cristian Javier (10-5, 4.56). Valdez and Javier were the winning pitchers in 2020 when the Astros swept a first-round series from the Twins.

4. The Astros won the American League West, and the No. 2 seed, on the final day of the season by tying Texas with a 90-72 record and winning the tiebreaker (head-to-head record).

5. All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker was the team's offensive leader with 29 home runs and a league-leading 112 RBI.

6. The Twins won the season series against Houston, beating the Astros in two out of three games during the first home series of the year and two out of three in Houston in a series that started on Memorial Day. Two of those victories, including the home opener, were in 10 innings.