Rangers 9, Twins 7
ARLINGTON, Texas, Jul 9 — The Texas Rangers won their second straight game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 9–7. Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Kole Calhoun all hit key home runs that led to the victory for the Rangers. It’s also worth noting that Saturday just happened to be Seager’s bobblehead day.The crowd of 35,427 really seemed to enjoy seeing those two events coincide. The finale in this three-game series is set for Sunday afternoon. The Twins will send right-hander Dylan Bundy (4–4, 4.50 ERA) to the hill. Texas, meanwhile will give the starting nod to righty Dane Dunning (1–6, 4.15 ERA) in the Sunday matinee. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 PM Central.
Rangers and Twins Have Homer Parade
The Rangers got their first lead in the bottom of the third inning. It happened on a three-run home run to right-center field by left-fielder Kole Calhoun. That sent an immediate buzz throughout the crowd. The Twins responded in the top of the fourth inning by tying it up with a three-run shot of their own. It came off the bat of first baseman Jose Miranda. Later that inning, Twins catcher Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer that put the Twins ahead by a score of 5–3. With things still in the fourth, Minnesota DH Byron Buxton extended the Twins’ lead to 6–3 with an RBI double to right-field that allowed Nick Gordon to score.
Rangers Go Back-to-Back
By this point in time, Rangers fans were starting to get that all too familiar feeling. Nobody likes watching their team fall behind. Things would change, however, in the bottom of the fourth inning. With Leody Taveras and Charlie Culberson on base, Marcus Semien stepped up to the plate. He then proceeded to crush a three-run home run to left field to tie the game at 6–6. The buzz from the crowd was back, and it wouldn’t stop there. The next batter was shortstop Corey Seager. Seager immediately sent one over the wall in right-center field to put the Rangers ahead by a score of 7–6. The crowd noise was deafening by the this point. It was the sixth time this season that the Rangers have hit back-to-back home runs at Globe Life Field, and it is the first time this year that Semien and Seager have gone back-to-back as well.
The Twins, however, weren’t finished. They scored the tying run in the top of the eighth inning. Minnesota outfielder Gilberto Celestino grounded out, allowing Luis Arraez to score from third base. That’s where the offense would stop for the Twins. The Rangers got their last two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Leody Taveras scored on an RBI triple by Semien, and Mitch Garver drove in Semien with a single.
Pitching Notes
Lefty Martin Perez started the middle game for the Rangers. He pitched six innings against the Twins, and struggled in a rare shaky outing. Perez gave up six runs, all earned, on seven hits. Two of the hits that he gave up were home runs. He came away with the no-decision. Even though he only pitched one third of an inning, Matt Moore got the winning decision for the Rangers. His 2022 record now sits at 4–2, with an ERA of 1.96. Brett Martin recorded his second save of the year by pitching another perfect ninth inning.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Kole Calhoun, Dylan Bundy, Dane Dunning, Jose Miranda, Gary Sanchez, Byron Buxton, Nick Gordon, Leody Taveras, Charlie Culberson, Gilberto Celestino, Luis Arraez, Mitch Garver, Martin Perez, Matt Moore, Brett Martin
