Minnesota Twins vs Texas Rangers Match Player Stats On Jun 19, 2021

Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer and Max Kepler scored the winning run on a wild pitch as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at Arlington, Texas.

It was the 432nd homer of Cruz's career, moving him past Cal Ripken Jr. for 49th place on the all-time list. Byron Buxton, activated from the injured list prior to the contest after missing 39 games with a right hip strain, singled and scored a run for Minnesota, which won its third straight game.

Caleb Thielbar (2-0) picked up the win with a hitless inning of relief while Taylor Rogers pitched around a Nick Solak one-out single in the ninth to earn his seventh save.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a two-run home run and doubled for the Rangers, while Solak and Nate Lowe each had two hits as Texas lost for the 18th time in its last 21 games.

John King (5-5) took the loss despite throwing three hitless innings of relief. He walked two and threw a pair of wild pitches, the second one allowing Kepler to score the winning run in the seventh inning.

Texas took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on Kiner-Falefa's sixth home run of the season, a 386-foot line drive that went just over the yellow home run line in left-center that drove in Charlie Culberson, who had walked. It snapped a 40-game homer drought for Kiner-Falefa.

Minnesota tied it 2-2 in the fourth on Cruz's 15th home run of the season, a 436-foot line drive to center off Rangers starter Kolby Allard that drove in Buxton, who had singled.

The Twins took a 3-2 lead in the seventh off King without getting a hit. Kepler walked with one out, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch that just missed hitting Luis Arraez in the arm while he drew a walk.

Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision. Randy Dobnak threw five innings, allowing two runs and four hits with one walk and one strikeout. Allard lasted six innings, giving up two runs on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts for Texas.

--Field Level Media