This time the Texas Rangers edged the Twins by one run in 10 innings on Sunday, denying Minnesota a four-game sweep of the series.
Still, the Twins won three of four games and they remain two games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central because the Guards were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Guards are so far 7-10 in August. The Twins are 11-6.
Not only were the Twins denied the sweep, starting pitcher Pablo Lopez exited the game empty-handed, despite pitching six scoreless innings and walking off the mound with a 4-0 lead.
It all went to pot in the seventh inning when reliever Jorge Alcala got rocked, allowing five runs on five hits, including two home runs, in only two-thirds of an inning.
The Twins rallied to tie the game on a Carlos Santana solo shot in the ninth, and then they quite literally threw the game away after a grounder to Jose Miranda turned into a throwing error at first base which allowed the winning run to score. Ballgame. Closer Jhoan Duran got stuck with the loss, allowing one unearned run to fall to 6-6 on the season.
Zebby Matthews gets the ball Monday in San Diego.
Extra innings…
-The Twins showed some spark early in this one, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. And they got to do it against old friend Tyler Mahle, who they chased to the showers after three innings.
Mahle served up a double to Trevor Larnach, a triple to Miranda and a two-run home run to Ryan Jeffers, who now has 19 on the season, one more than Santana at 18.
-Mahle’s line: Four runs on six hits across three innings with no walks, one strikeout and one home run.
-After the Twins wrap up a three-game series in San Diego, they come home to play the Cardinals, Braves and Blue Jays before they hit the road again.