Rangers blitz Twins for 6th win in row
Shin-Soo Choo extended his on-base streak to 35 games with two hits, including a two-run homer, and Mike Minor gave up just one run over six innings as the Texas Rangers cruised to their sixth straight win, an 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday in Minneapolis.
Choo finished with three RBIs.
Nomar Mazara and Adrian Beltre each had two hits and drove in two runs, and Robinson Chirinos also had two hits for the Rangers, who had lost seven in a row before starting their win streak. Mazara has 11 hits and seven RBIs over his past five games.
Minor (5-4), making his first career start against the Twins, faced the minimum 15 batters over the first five innings, allowing just a first inning two-out single to Brian Dozier, who was easily gunned down by left fielder Joey Gallo trying to stretch it into a double.
The Texas left-hander allowed three hits and walked two to go along with three strikeouts while picking up his first win in four starts.
Minnesota starter Fernando Romero (3-3) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out four.
Romero started the contest with three hitless innings, including twice striking out Choo on 3-2 pitches, before the Rangers parlayed three soft singles into a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
Elvis Andrus opened the inning with an infield single to third, advanced to second on a broken bat single to center by Mazara and scored on Beltre's ground single to center. Mazara later scored on a groundout by Rougned Odor.
The Rangers extended their lead to 4-0 in the fifth on Choo's 14th homer of the season off the facing of the upper deck in right center. The blast drove in Ronald Guzman, who opened the inning with a walk.
Minnesota finally broke through in the sixth. Max Kepler hit a leadoff double and later scored on a line double by Joe Mauer that sailed over Gallo's head, making it 4-1.
The Rangers broke the game open with four runs on five hits in the ninth off Matt Belisle, highlighted by a two-run single from Mazara.
--Field Level Media