GAME THREAD: How Twins Beat Rangers

The Texas Rangers start a six-game road trip on Friday with the opener of a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

The Rangers split their four-game series with the Oakland Athletics, which ended on Thursday. Of course, there was far more drama off the field.

The Rangers fired team president Jon Daniels on Wednesday and installed general manager Chris Young as the head of all baseball operations. It’s a seismic shift for an organization that just two days before that fired manager Chris Woodward and promoted third-base coach Tony Beasley to interim manager. Beasley is 2-2 in his first stint as a Major League manager.

The team’s principal owner, Ray Davis, put it simply on Friday when talking about Daniels’ dismissal — “we’re not very good.” Young is with the team in Minnesota and Davis said he’ll begin communicating with the team about the changes in the organization while on the trip.

Scroll down to follow along with tonight’s game.

Texas Rangers (53-65) at Minnesota Twins (61-55)

August 19, 2022, Target Field, Minneapolis, Minn., 7:10 p.m. (CDT)

Starting Pitchers

TEX: LHP Martín Pérez (9-3, 2.79)

Vs.

MIN: RHP Dylan Bundy (6-5, 4.76)

Rangers Pre-Game Transactions:

RHP A.J. Alexy recalled from Round Rock (AAA)

RHP Joe Barlow placed on 15-day Injured List, retroactive to August 18, with a right index finger blister.

Rangers Injury List:

OF Kole Calhoun (10-day, right heel irritation), placed on Aug. 4 (retroactive to Aug. 3), eligible to come off Aug. 13. Calhoun is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock.

P Jon Gray (15-day, left oblique strain), placed on Aug. 2. He is eligible to return, but his recovered was expected to take 4-6 weeks.

P Dennis Santana (15-day, left ankle sprain), placed on Aug. 4 (retroactive to Aug. 3). Eligible to be activated on Aug. 18. Santana is on an injury rehab assignment.

P Spencer Howard (15-day, right shoulder impingement), placed on Aug. 10 (retroactive to Aug. 8), eligible to be activated on Aug. 23.

P Joe Barlow (15-day, right index finger blister), placed on Aug. 19 (retroactive to Aug. 18). Eligible to be activated on Sept. 2. Note: This is the second time Barlow has been on the injured list due to a blister in the past two months.

OF Eli White (60-day, right wrist fracture), placed on June 13. He has missed 57 games but he is expected to return at some point this season.

C Mitch Garver (60-day, right forearm flexor tendon repair surgery), placed on July 11. He is not expected to return this season.

Follow the Game

Rangers – Apple TV+

Twins - Apple TV+

Radio/Internet

Rangers - KRLD 1080, KFLC 1270, 105.3 The Fan

Twins – Treasure Island Baseball Network - 830 WCCO-AM, KMNB 102.9 FM

Texas Rangers Starting Lineup

1. 2B Marcus Semien

2. SS Corey Seager

3. 1B Nathaniel Lowe

4. RF Adolis García

5. C Jonah Heim

6. CF Leody Taveras

7. DH Brad Miller

8. 3B Josh Smith

9. LF Bubba Thompson

Minnesota Twins Starting Lineup

1. CF Byron Buxton

2. SS Carlos Correa

3. 1B Luis Arraez

4. DH Jose Miranda

5. 3B Gio Urshela

6. 2B Jorge Polanco

7. LF Gilberto Celestino

8. RF Max Kepler

9. C Sandy León

Top of First

Dylan Bundy (MIN) pitching

The Rangers led off the game with second baseman Marcus Semien. It was a quick at-bat, as Semien struck out swinging on three pitches. Shortstop Corey Seager sprayed a 2-2 pitch to left field for a quick line drive out to Gilberto Celestino. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe grounded his second pitch to first baseman Luis Arraez for an unassisted third out. Rangers 0, Twins 0.

Top of First

Martín Pérez (TEX) pitching

Pérez began his 24th start of the season facing Minnesota center fielder Byron Buxton. He struck out swinging at an outside pitch. Shortstop Carlos Correa then popped out to García in right field for the second out. Then Arraez, who fielded the final out of the top of the first, pulled a Pérez offering to right field for a solo home run to give the Twins an early lead. It was the 10th home run Pérez had given up all season. Then, designated hitter Jose Miranda made it two solo shots in a row, as the right-handed hitter pulled a pitch into the left-field seats to put the Twins up two runs. It was the second hit of Miranda’s career off Pérez, and both are home runs. Third baseman Gio Urshela hit a flare to shallow center field for a single to keep the two-out rally going. Second baseman Jorge Polanco grounded out to Seager to finally end the inning. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Top of Second

García singled to right-center field to start the frame, which was Texas’ first hit of the game. Catcher Jonah Heim then popped out to Celestino in left field, as he was standing on the line about a step from the left-field seats. Center fielder Leody Taveras pushed a Bundy offering deep into center field before Buxton ran it down. Designated hitter Brad Miller flew out to Celestino in left field and García was stranded at first. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Bottom of Second

Pérez’s second inning of work began by getting Celestino to ground out to Seager for the first out. Right fielder Max Kepler hit a sharp liner to left field, where Bubba Thompson misplayed the ball and slid on the slick turf at Target Field to give Kepler a double. Pérez then froze catcher Sandy León for his second strikeout of the game. That brought Buxton up for the second time. Buxton flew out to Taveras in center to end the inning. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Top of Third

Rangers third baseman Josh Smith led off the inning by grounding out to first base, but it required Arraez to handle the grounder himself. Thompson faced Bundy next and he grounded out to Urshela at third base. Semien came to the plate for the second time in the game and he drew a walk, the first of the game issued by Bundy. Seager then grounded back to Bundy on the hill, who tossed it to first for the final out. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Bottom of Third

Correa struck out looking to lead off the inning as Pérez threw a beautiful knee-high fastball on the outside corner. Arraez then hit an easy ground ball to Semien for the second out. Mirande then popped out to Smith at third base for the final out as Pérez worked his quickest inning of the game to that point. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Top of Fourth

Lowe led off by taking a Bundy offering all the way back to the warning track in center field, where Buxton made the catch about two steps from the wall. García then flew out to Celestino in left field. Heim then popped out to Correa to end the inning, as Bundy had given up just one hit and one walk through four frames. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Bottom of Fourth

Urshela led off for the Twins by hitting a line shot to Smith at third base, and he was able to field the one-hop grounder cleanly and throw to first for the out. Jorge Polanco, who was 0-for-1 on the game, stepped in and drew a five-pitch walk, which was the first of the game for Pérez. Then, Celestino froze on a 1-2 pitch from Pérez that led to the left-hander’s fourth strikeout of the game. Kepler wrapped up the inning with a groundout to Semien, who was playing on the outfield grass at second base. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Top of Fifth

Taveras went to the plate for the second time against Bundy and he popped out to Correa for the first out. Miller then hit a sharp line drive right into the glove of Polanco, who was playing in the shift and on the outfield grass between first and second. Smith then pulled a sharp grounder to Arreaz at first base, who made the play and rushed to the bag to force Smith out to end the inning. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Bottom of Fifth

León led off by striking out to Pérez on three pitches, giving the Rangers left-hander five strikeouts for the game. Buxton (0-for-2) faced Pérez for the third time and drew a walk. Correa (0-for-2) struck out to Pérez for the second straight at-bat. Arraez (1-for-2, HR) drew a nine-pitch walk, as he fought off a couple of inside cutters by fouling them off. With two on and two out, Rangers co-pitching coach Doug Mathis paid Pérez a visit for the first time as he prepared to face Miranda (1-for-2, HR). It took a while, but Pérez struck him out with a high fastball on a 3-2 pitch. Twins 2, Rangers 0.

Top of Sixth

Thompson (0-for-1) worked a deep at-bat against Bundy that ended with the rookie hitting a ground ball down the third base line to Urshela, who fielded the ball and his momentum carried him into foul territory. He had to make a throw on the run but Thompson ran it out for a single, the second hit Bundy gave up in the game. That took the Rangers back to Semien (0-for-1, walk), who narrowly missed a home run down the left-field line before it tailed foul. Semien ended up striking out swinging on a 2-2 fastball. That ended Bundy’s game as the Twins went to the bullpen.

Twins Pitching Change: Caleb Thielbar for Dylan Bundy

Thielbar entered the game with a 4.04 ERA and faced Seager (0-for-2) with Thompson still at first base. Seager extended his at-bat to nine pitches but struck out. Thompson was on the run and ended up safe at second base. Lowe stepped in, with the Rangers still seeking to tie the game, or at least extend the frame. Lowe dropped an 0-2 pitch into right-center field for a single that brought home Thompson to cut the lead to 2-1. García (1-for-2, 16-game hitting streak) sought to extend the inning or even give the Rangers the lead. But he struck out to end the inning. Twins 2, Rangers 1.

Bundy Pitching Line: 5 1/3 innings, two hits, one run (earned), one walk, two strikeouts, 71 pitches, 51 strikes.

Bottom of Sixth

Urshela (1-for-2) lined out to Taveras in center field to lead off the inning as Pérez sought to work six innings for the third time in August. Polanco (1-for-2) then hit a line drive down the third-base line for a double, a roller that tailed into the corner of the left-field wall at Target Field. Celestino (0-for-2) grounded out to Smith at third, who looked Polanco back to second before making the throw to first. Kepler (1-for-2) finally popped out to Lowe at first base, who had to track down the pop fly and deftly made the catch at the rail of the Twins’ dugout. Twins 2, Rangers 1

Top of Seventh

Twins Pitching Change: Trevor Megill for Caleb Thielbar

Thielbar final pitching line: 2/3 innings, one hit, no runs (allowed one inherited runner to score), no walks, two strikeouts, 17 pitches, 13 strikes.

Heim (0-for-2) led off the inning against Megill, who came into the game with a 3.00 ERA. Megill froze Heim on a 3-2 breaking ball for a strikeout and the first out of the half-inning. Taveras (0-for-2) singled to center field for the Rangers’ third hit of the game. Taveras stole second on the third pitch to Miller. He drew a walk to bring up pinch-hitter Mark Mathias with two runners on and one out. Mathias homered in his first start with the Rangers on Thursday. Before the at-bat, the Twins paid Megill a mound visit. Mathias hit a ground ball to Correa at short, who was able to turn the force out at second base. But Mathias reached first and Taveras advanced to third for Thompson (1-for-2) got a hold of a Megill offering and gave it a ride to the gap in left-center field before Buxton tracked it down to end the inning. Twins 2, Rangers 1

Bottom of Seventh

Rangers pitching change: Brock Burke for Martín Pérez

Pérez Pitching Line: Six innings, five hits, two runs (earned), three walks, seven strikeouts, 97 pitches, 57 strikes.

Brock Burke, perhaps the Rangers’ most reliable left-handed reliever, enter the game to face León. He grounded out to Mathias, now playing third base for Smith. Buxton followed by flying out to right field and Correa ended the inning with a lineout to center. Twins 2, Rangers 1

Top of Eighth

Twins Pitching Change: Jhoan Duran for Trevor Megill

Megill Pitching Line: One inning, no hits, no runs, one walk, one strikeout, 24 pitches, 13 strikes.

Semien led off by flying out to center field for the first out. Seager followed with a groundout to Correa, who was playing in the shift. Lowe struck out on a 102-mile-per-hour fastball from Duran. Twins 2, Rangers 1.

Bottom of Eighth

Rangers Pitching Change: Jose Leclerc for Brock Burke

Burke Pitching Line: One inning, no hits, no runs, no walks, no strikeouts, eight pitches, six strikes.

Leclerc entered the game to keep the Rangers within a run. He faced Arraez, who hit a solo home run in the first inning. He popped out to Mathias in foul territory in third base. Miranda popped out to Lowe at first base. Urshela struck out swinging, but it required Heim to throw to first to enforce the out. Twins 2, Rangers 1.

Top of Ninth

Twins Pitching Change: Jorge Lopez for Jhoan Duran

Duran pitching line: One inning, no hits, no runs, no walks, one strikeout, 10 pitches, seven strikes.

With the Rangers down one, García led off the inning. He had already extended his hitting streak to 16 games. He struck out swinging on five pitches. Heim worked Lopez to a full count and drew a walk on an inside fastball. With that, Heim gave the Rangers the tying run and Rangers manager Tony Beasley put Charlie Culberson in to pinch-run for Heim. Taveras stepped in and drew a five-pitch walk, which pushed the tying run into scoring position for Miller, who was 0-for-2 for the game. Miller lined out to Kepler in right field, and the young right fielder had the presence of mind to quickly throw to second and double up Culberson, who didn’t tag up quickly enough. The Rangers did challenge the call, but the out was confirmed. Final: Twins 2, Rangers 1.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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