Well, in their quest to aid major-league history and prevent a sub-.500 team from winning their division, the Texas Rangers knocked the Twins around in a rain-delayed, 6-2 victory on Saturday afternoon. With the Houston Astros just underway, the Rangers improve to 80-81, and give themselves a fighting chance of claiming the West with another win tomorrow afternoon; if they do, they will at least guarantee that their ticket to the playoffs will come on the back of an even record.
For the first time since 2009, the Rangers hit four doubles in the same inning, a four-run second that summed up most of Bailey Ober’s day. Nicky Lopez, Evan Carter, Alejandro Osuna, and Brandon Nimmo each had a two-bagger in the inning, which saw Ober give up four of his six earned runs, and five of his ten hits — all with two outs in the inning and nobody aboard.
It closed the book on Ober for 2026, leaving him with a 7-7 record and 4.47 ERA. He added five strikeouts and one walk to his final marks.
The Twins were not as successful in getting to Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi, who did not make it through five frames after tossing 71 pitches and booking it. Luke Keaschall doubled and scored in the first, but only three other Twins would tag Eovaldi for a hit, and the only other Twins run came after the white-hot Keaschall tripled and scored on a Josh Bell single in the bottom of the eighth.
The book is nearly closed on all the members of the Twins roster, with Dean Kremer scheduled to start Game 162 and finish off this season for good. Minnesota currently sits at 76-85, dead even with the Detroit Tigers; a win and a Tiger loss tomorrow would leave the Twins alone in third place to end the season.
See you tomorrow for one last ride!
STUDS:
RF Luke Keaschall (2-for-3, 2 R, BB, 2B, 3B)
RP Travis Adams (2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K)
DUDS:
SP Bailey Ober (5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, B, 5 K, 2 HR)
1B Royce Lewis (0-for-4, 2 K)
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