The Minnesota Twins earned a 9-3 victory against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. It was an impressive win, as the offense came through with the nine runs scored. Minnesota's pitching also impressed, as starter Joe Ryan led the way. 

Ryan, who is expected to be a popular trade candidate before the upcoming deadline, turned in five innings of shutout baseball against a capable Rangers ball club. His pitch count became an issue so he only pitched five innings, but the right-hander performed well nonetheless.

Ryan ultimately recorded seven strikeouts while allowing only three hits. He did walk two hitters. 

The Twins' bullpen ended up surrendering three runs, but Minnesota's lineup scored more than enough runs to get the job done. Ryan earned his fifth win of the season. 

As mentioned, Ryan is probably going to be a popular trade candidate before the upcoming deadline. He further boosted his trade value during Thursday's contest. The right-handed hurler now holds a 2.99 ERA across 16 outings. He also has 99 strikeouts in his 87.1 innings of work.

Tarik Skubal is going to be the most discussed trade candidate, but Ryan could be a quality option for teams as well. He will not cost as much to acquire from a prospect standpoint, and he still is an All-Star caliber starter.

The Twins, however, are only 4.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central standings. Minnesota may decide to try to contend in the division given their current standings placement. With that being said, selling is probably still the best option. The realistic chances of the Twins making a deep postseason run -- even if they were to reach the playoffs -- are slim.

Joe Ryan's trade situation will be worth closely monitoring. 

The Twins earned a 3-0 series sweep against the Rangers in Texas. It was a quality series for the ball club to say the least. Minnesota has now won four consecutive contests overall, as the team seems to be finding its rhythm right now.

The Twins will look to keep their momentum going this weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It should be a competitive series as the Twins look to continue playing at a high level.

First pitch for the first contest of the series between the Twins and Diamondbacks on Friday night is scheduled for 9:45 PM EST in Arizona.