For months, it has been predetermined that the Minnesota Twins would be the most uninteresting and least intimidating team in the 2023 MLB playoffs. They would only be a continued source of pain for local fans, and a source of laughter for the many cynical neutral baseball fans who relish an incomprehensible losing streak.

That script has promptly been put through the shredder after the Twins swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card series. Dominant pitching, the October heroics of rookie Royce Lewis and an insanely electric crowd has made this team far more compelling than it has any right being.

But will all of this newly earned respect and attention hold up in the ALDS versus the Houston Astros? The makings of a potential deep postseason run definitely exist. Minnesota can shut down dangerous offenses on the mound, contains plenty of pop in its lineup and has one of the greatest playoff performers of his generation in Carlos Correa.

A curse ended in Target Field this week. Next week, we could see the birth of a completely new franchise, free from the shackles of a miserable past. There is no better way to bring in this welcome change than to push the defending World Series champions to their limit.

With Game 1 of the ALDS beginning Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET at Minute Maid Park, here are two bold predictions for the Twins' big matchup with the Astros.

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2. Jorge Polanco reintroduces himself to baseball world

It was only two years ago that Jorge Polanco solidified himself as one of the best offensive middle infielders in the AL. Though, that feels like a lifetime ago after consecutive underwhelming and injury-ridden seasons. He missed significant time in the first half of the 2023 campaign but has been a regular fixture in the Twins' lineup for the last two months.

Polanco is still waiting to fully get his groove back at the plate. he came alive in August but fizzled in September, finishing the season with a .255 batting average, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and a concerning 88 strikeouts in 80 games (career-high 25.7 percent K rate). The 2019 All-Star can reawaken in October.

While we expect former Astros star Correa to produce on the big stage given his aforementioned reputation, Polanco will be discounted by many. When healthy, he can still crush the baseball. The 30-year-old did not face Houston this year, so he will get his chance to surprise Dusty Baker and a capable pitching staff in this series.

There a couple worthy candidates to break out for Minnesota in the ALDS, but Polanco is primed to seize a moment or two. Regardless of the outcome, I believe fans will be reminded just how impactful the Dominican Republic native can be with a bat.

1. Twins will win a game in Minute Maid Park

Minnesota won four of six games overall against Houston in the early part of the season, with two coming on the road. Therefore, prognosticating a single victory in Minute Maid Park hardly feels like a bold prediction, right? Wrong. Going into the champs' house and winning a postseason game is undoubtedly a noteworthy feat. Particularity for a big underdog like this team.

The Twins, however, can neutralize the experience and talent advantage the Astros possess with their stalwart starting pitching staff. One of their top guys should be scheduled to take the mound in Houston. Either Bailey Ober or Joe Ryan is expected to start the proceedings on Saturday, while Pablo Lopez likely to go on regular rest in Game 2. Three-time All-Star Sonny Gray gives his team a great chance to win in Target Field, and their prized offseason acquisition could stun the champs away from home.

When the Twins traded AL batting champion Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins for Lopez, there was naturally some skepticism. But the 27-year-old immediately boosted the top end of the team's pitching rotation and recorded a career-high 234 strikeouts (third-most in MLB). Most importantly, he thwarted the Blue Jays' offense in Game 1 of the ALWCS, throwing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Lopez can put Space City on high upset alert.

Houston enters the ALDS with arguably as much momentum as Minnesota, having come from behind to clinch another divisional title and a first-round bye. I honestly cannot see that momentum stopping in this round. The Astros are just too deep.

Though, the Twins will make them earn their seventh-straight trip to the ALCS. Despite injury problems and a roster stacked with many unknowns, they are a legitimate threat. Even if victory is unattainable, this franchise should exit the 2023 MLB playoffs with a very different aura surrounding it.