Minnesota needed only one swing to take control. Josh Bell's three-run homer to left in the first inning — 376 feet, with Austin Martin and Royce Lewis scoring ahead of him — gave the Twins a lead they would not relinquish, and Minnesota walked away from Globe Life Field with a 4-2 victory over Texas.
MacKenzie Gore pitched well enough to win most nights. He struck out 10 batters over 7.0 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks across 102 pitches. The problem was the first inning. Bell's blast accounted for all three of Minnesota's early runs, and Gore spent the rest of the afternoon trying to work out of a deficit he could never fully close. He falls to 4-6 with a 4.27 ERA.
Texas answered in the third. Joc Pederson's two-run homer to right — 394 feet, with Díaz scoring — pulled the Rangers within one at 3-2. It was the only multi-run inning Texas would manage. Pederson finished 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. Bell, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI for Minnesota, his eighth home run of the season.
Byron Buxton extended the lead in the sixth with a solo shot to left center, 398 feet, making it 4-2. That run proved to be the margin. Taylor Rogers earned the win, improving to 3-3, and Yoendrys Gomez worked 1.1 scoreless innings for his seventh save of the season.
Pederson is now 2 doubles away from 200 career doubles. Minnesota improved to 33-40. Texas fell to 35-36.