Twins fall to Astros, send down Lewis

The Minnesota Twins wrap up their three-game set with Houston tonight at Target Field, with first pitch listed for 5:40. Joe Ryan is scheduled to start for Minnesota against Astros right-hander Mike Burrows. The Twins took the opener 6-3 before Houston answered with a 2-1 win last night, so this one decides the series. Byron Buxton and Yordan Alvarez enter tied as the listed team home-run leaders with 15 apiece, while Josh Bell leads Minnesota with 29 RBIs.

The Twins are dealing with more than just Houston this week. Royce Lewis has reportedly been sent down to Triple-A after a rough stretch at the plate, while catcher Ryan Jeffers is expected to miss several weeks with a broken hamate bone. Minnesota also designated reliever Justin Topa for assignment and brought in reinforcements, including Orlando Arcia and Alex Jackson. It is a major mid-May reset for a club trying to stay in the AL Central race.