Jordan Luplow, Christian Vazquez and Jorge Polanco each homered and Joe Ryan tossed six strong innings as the Minnesota Twins opened a three-game series against the Texas Rangers with a 5-1 victory on Friday in Minneapolis.
Ryan (10-8) allowed one run on three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Relievers Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar and Jhoan Duran each pitched a scoreless inning to help snap Minnesota’s two-game skid.
Texas (75-59) was held to three hits and lost for the 11th time in 14 games. The Rangers have lost four of their first five meetings against Minnesota (70-65) this season.
Rangers star Corey Seager broke a scoreless tie with his leadoff homer in the fourth inning. The 422-foot blast was Seager’s 26th of the season and second in as many games.
Minnesota managed just one hit against Texas starter Max Scherzer and trailed 1-0 after six innings. Scherzer was lifted after throwing 88 pitches with two walks and seven strikeouts.
The Rangers’ ongoing bullpen woes continued after Brock Burke (5-3) relieved Scherzer to begin the seventh inning. Burke allowed a one-out single to Carlos Correa before Luplow delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer to put Minnesota ahead.
The Twins added a run in the seventh with two outs on Vazquez’s solo homer to right field, his fifth of the season.
Minnesota extended its lead in the eighth inning against Josh Sborz. After Ryan Jeffers began the inning with a pinch-hit double, Polanco followed with a two-run homer to right field. The homer was Polanco’s 11th this season.
The game’s first six innings featured a pitchers’ duel between Ryan and Scherzer, who has posted a 2.21 ERA over his first six starts with Texas.
Ryan faced the Rangers for the second straight start and struck out five batters in the first three innings. He put the leadoff man on in the sixth when Marcus Semien was hit by a pitch, but Seager grounded into a double play and Nathaniel Lowe struck out to end the inning.
–Field Level Media
