Twins vs Rangers Recap: Buxton, Bell Power Twins past Texas

The Twins rolled into Arlington looking to build on their two-game winning streak. Texas came in just one game ahead of Minnesota in the standings. Both teams needed a win. The Rangers' MacKenzie Gore took the mound for Dallas, ready to shut down the visiting lineup. Josh Bell had other ideas. With two outs in the first inning, Bell stepped up and connected on a 82 mph curveball from Gore. The ball rocketed to left field and kept climbing. When it finally landed 376 feet away, Austin Martin and Royce Lewis came sprinting home behind him. Minnesota jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Rangers even recorded their first out. The Twins smelled blood early and wanted to keep pouring it on.

The Rangers could not let Minnesota run away with this game so early. Joc Pederson came to bat in the third inning determined to cut into the deficit. The veteran slugger saw his pitch—a mistake from Mike Paredes. Pederson swung with all his strength and sent the ball soaring to right field. The ball traveled 394 feet before clearing the wall. Elias Diaz scored ahead of him on the play. Suddenly it was 3-2 and the Rangers were back in the fight. The momentum shifted a bit. Texas knew they could catch Minnesota if they kept battling. However, the Twins' pitching held firm and Gore struggled to find consistency on the mound. The game remained tight heading into the middle innings.

Byron Buxton stepped into the box in the sixth inning with Minnesota clinging to a one-run lead. Gore threw him a 90 mph cutter. Buxton got all of it. The ball jumped off his bat and sailed toward left center field. It climbed higher and higher until it cleared the wall 398 feet away. One swing. That was all it took. The Twins extended their lead to 4-2 and that would be the final score. Minnesota's bullpen locked down the Rangers down the stretch. Taylor Rogers, Andrew Morris, Eric Orze, and Yoendrys Gomez combined to shut out Texas the rest of the way. The Twins improved to 35-40 while Texas dropped to 35-37. Minnesota's pitching depth proved strong in the victory.