3 Twins who can keep Minnesota alive in ALDS with Game 4 performances

2. Edouard Julien must set the tone at top of the Twins order

Depending on who starts for the Astros will likely determine whether or not Edouard Julien is in the lineup for Game 4 on Wednesday. When he has started games in the playoffs for the Twins, though, they've had him in the leadoff spot. Unfortunately, he hasn't delivered quite in the way that you'd want the top of the order to.

Game 3 was a perfect example of that. Julien did draw a pair of walks in five plate appearances on the day against the Astros, but ultimately wasn't protected enough to end up crossing the plate. That's not on him, but it is to his discredit that he ended up going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his other three at-bats on the night for Minnesota.

Another rookie who played a big role for Minnesota this season, Julien proved his ability to get on base throughout the year. Walks are indeed part of his game with a .381 OBP for the season, but he was also a much better hitter in the regular season (.267) than he showed on Tuesday.

Make no mistake, though, Julien has proven he can hit in the postseason. He came up with a clutch pinch-hit RBI single in Game 2 en route to a Twins win and had a double and a walk over five plate appearances in the Game 1 loss.

Having said that, particularly if he's once again leading off for this lineup, Julien has to give the team productive at-bats every time at the plate. Even if that doesn't result in him getting on base, a pair of walks and three strikeouts isn't good enough to set the table for the rest of the lineup.