The Texas Rangers fell to the Minnesota Twins 4-2 at Globe Life Field, losing their third out of their last four games
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers haven’t been very successful when tasked with winning a game to return to the .500 mark this season.
On Monday night, that trend continued as the Rangers fell to the Minnesota Twins 4-2 at Globe Life Field. The Rangers have now lost three of their last four games following a 9-3 stretch.
After falling into a 3-0 hole in the first inning thanks to a Josh Bell three-run home run off Texas starter MacKenzie Gore, the Rangers managed just two runs of offense, all on a Joc Pederson two-run shot in the third.
“We were missing the fastball,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said after the game. “I think it was Joc that had a really good swing on a cutter, but we didn’t get much traffic other than that. We had a couple of singles and a couple of hard-hit balls.. Other than that, not much action."
Pederson’s home run marked his ninth of the season, matching his total from last season, all of which have come in Arlington and have accounted for 30% of the team’s 30 home runs at home. Entering that at-bat, the Rangers slugger was in the midst of a 3-for-21 skid.
As for Gore, his line of seven innings and four earned runs doesn’t jump off the page, but the Rangers lefty had one of his better starts of the season.
Gore struck out 10 Twins, marking a season high, and retired 11 consecutive batters following Bell’s home run in the first.
“The line probably tells a different story than what he actually was out there,” Schumaker said. “I thought it was one of his best outings of the year; his fastball was explosive, and his changeup was excellent. A couple of curveballs he wants back, and they hit them out.
“His fastball and changeup were probably as good as he’s had them all year, and honestly, he probably could have gone out for the eighth, that’s how good he felt. Unfortunately, the home runs cost him today.”
After the Rangers landed back in DFW at nearly 4:00 a.m. Monday, Gore admitted the last thing he wanted to do was to have a tough first inning but felt good about the adjustments he made.
“After a long night, you don’t wanna give up three in the first,” Gore said. “I felt good from the get-go, I felt good the way I was throwing the ball, I just hung two curveballs in the first inning, but I thought we made the adjustment…”
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
