ALDS Bracket 2019: Dates, TV Schedule for Twins vs. Yankees Series

The Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees will face off in the American League Division Series beginning on Friday at Yankee Stadium.

In 2017, the Yankees ended the Twins' season with an 8-4 victory in the AL Wild Card. But these are not the same Twins. Minnesota finished the regular season 101-61—their second-highest win total in franchise history and highest since they won 102 games in 1965.

The Yankees enter the postseason at 103-58, marking their second straight 100-win season. 

New York holds home-field advantage in the series, but the Twins went a league-best 55-25 on the road in the regular season. 

The other ALDS is yet to be determined.

The Oakland Athletics will play in the American League Wild Card for the third time in six years, and this time, the Tampa Bay Rays will visit the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday.

The A's fell in last year's wild-card matchup 7-2 against the New York Yankees, while the Rays haven't made a postseason appearance since 2013.

In that span, Oakland has lost in the AL Wild Card twice (2014, 2018) and made it as far as the American League Division Series where they crashed out 3-2 to the Detroit Tigers (2013).

The winner's road to the World Series won't get any easier with the top-seeded Houston Astros awaiting them in the American League Division Series. The Astros became the first MLB team to reach 100 wins this season on Sept. 18, marking the third consecutive year with at least 100 wins.

Below is a glance at both ALDS schedules, a full MLB postseason bracket and what to watch for between Minnesota and New York.

Twins vs. Yankees Schedule 

Game 1: Twins at Yankees; Oct. 4, TBD, Yankee Stadium

Game 2: Twins at Yankees; Oct. 5, TBD, Yankee Stadium

Game 3: Yankees at Twins; Oct. 7, TBD, Target Field

Game 4: Yankees at Twins; Oct. 8, TBD, Target Field*

Game 5: Twins at Yankees; Oct. 10, TBD, Yankee Stadium*

* = if necessary

Astros vs. TBD Schedule

Game 1: TBD at Houston; Oct. 4, TBD, Minute Maid Park

Game 2: TBD at Houston; Oct. 5, TBD, Minute Maid Park

Game 3: Houston at TBD; Oct. 7, TBD, TBD

Game 4: Houston at TBD; Oct. 8, TBD, TBD*

Game 5: TBD at Houston; Oct. 10, TBD, Minute Maid Park*

* = if necessary

Schedules provided by MLB.com

Twins vs. Yankees Preview

These two sides are evenly matched, to say the least.

The Twins took the home run crown for the year and all-time with three in their final game of the regular season:

Second-year infielder Gleyber Torres led New York with 38 home runs, and 14 Yankees hit double-digit dingers. As for the Twins, veteran designated hitter Nelson Cruz led the way with 41 while five players hit at least 30 long balls.

The same pattern was true in runs scored, with New York first at 943 and the Twins second at 939. It figures to be a high-scoring series.

"They're a beast," New York manager Aaron Boone said earlier this week, according to Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com. "Obviously we had a pretty epic series with them [earlier this season]. So we know how dangerous they are."

In early May, the Twins took two of three from the Yankees in a series that featured eight home runs. 

On the mound, the margin remains slim. 

The Yankees surprised many around the league by not acquiring a pitcher at the trade deadline, and it could end up burning them in the end—especially if they advance to the ALCS and have to try to match the Astros' Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Grienke.

Against the Twins, though, New York is only narrowly the lesser side.

Twins starters Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi each received his first career All-Star nod. Odorizzi led the starting rotation with a 15-7 record and 3.51 ERA with Berrios as runner-up at 14-8 and 3.68. 

For New York, James Paxton's 3.82 ERA topped the starting rotation. While Paxton led the Yankees in ERA, Domingo German led the team with an 18-4 record. However, the Yankees will be without German as he was placed on administrative leave through the World Series amid allegations of domestic violence.

The Twins, meanwhile, will be without starting pitcher Michael Pineda, who is serving a 60-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. Pineda was 11-5 with a 4.01 ERA across 26 starts. 

From team perspectives, Minnesota ranks ninth in MLB with a 4.18 ERA. New York slots in at 14th with a 4.31 ERA.

Given how the season went for the Yankees on the injury front, setting a new league record for most injured players in a single season, they're in relatively good shape entering the postseason.

The main concerns are designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who has been dealing with a left oblique strain and hasn't played since Sept. 12, and Paxton. Paxton left the Yankees' Sept. 27 game with what an MRI revealed to be nerve irritation. Boone told the New York Post's George A. King III that he didn't think the ailment will "alter anything for him moving forward."

"Not 100 percent but close, 80 to 85," Encarnacion said, according to King Sunday. He added he could play at first base and expected to be ready for Game 1. 

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman provided an update following the Yankees' final game:

While it seems New York will have Encarnacion and Paxton, even at less than full strength, the Twins aren't sure about the status of infielder Luis Arraez following a Grade 1 ankle sprain diagnosis Sunday.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli addressed the situation, per TwinCities.com's Betsy Helfand: "He's going to basically be working on flexibility and getting to a point where he's weight-bearing, hopefully, in the near future, and we're going to just start from there. It'll be another true day-to-day situation. We're going to probably do as much treatment as you can possibly do on someone between now and this Friday, and we'll see where we're at."

Minnesota also lost center fielder Byron Buxton for the remainder of the year Sept. 10 with a left shoulder injury. Buxton had a .262/.314/.513 slash line for 10 home runs and 46 RBI paired with 14 stolen bases.

The Twins have plenty of bats to compensate for Buxton, but in a series like this, the smallest disadvantage could make the difference.