The Rangers arrived in Minneapolis with October hanging in the balance and left Target Field with their margin for error nearly gone. A first-inning lead disappeared in a rough second, Josh Jung exited after being hit in the right hand, and Texas absorbed a 10-2 loss to the Twins on Friday night.
With two games left on the schedule, Texas is 79-81 and trails Houston by a half-game while the Astros were still playing Oakland in West Sacramento. Houston holds the season-series tiebreaker, making the Rangers’ road especially narrow. Texas could be knocked out of postseason contention as soon as Saturday.
A 20-minute swing changes the night
- Texas jumped ahead by two runs in the opening inning against Minnesota starter Joe Ryan.
- Jung, serving as the designated hitter, was struck on the right hand by a pitch in his first trip to the plate.
- He remained in the game long enough to run the bases, but Texas replaced him with a pinch-hitter when his spot came back around.
- Jacob deGrom retired the Twins in order in the first, then ran into a six-run second inning in which Minnesota sent 10 hitters to the plate.
- DeGrom permitted two more Minnesota runs in the fourth, which became his last inning and his final regular-season appearance.
- The Twins kept the Rangers from mounting a return, closing out a 10-2 victory.
DeGrom’s difficult finish
Texas needed its ace to set the tone in a game carrying postseason weight. Instead, deGrom’s sharp first inning gave way to Minnesota’s decisive rally, and the Rangers never recovered.
His last two starts have been a troubling stretch at the worst possible time. Over 8 1/3 innings, deGrom has allowed 11 earned runs, recording seven strikeouts and issuing seven walks.
Manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday that the Rangers needed their key players to deliver if they were going to reach October. Friday put that challenge in full view: the club lost one of its most important bats during the game, its frontline starter could not contain the Twins, and a two-run cushion vanished before the night had settled in.
Now the Rangers have two games to rescue a season that was still alive when the night began, but is hanging by a thread after one damaging inning in Minneapolis.
