SB Nation Dallas - Rangers Comeback Falls Short As Twins Sweep Rangershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48887/dallas-fave.png2010-09-05T17:51:04-05:00http://dallas.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14350522010-09-05T17:51:04-05:002010-09-05T17:51:04-05:00Texas Swept By Minnesota As Comeback Falls Short
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<p>(Sports Network) – Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span each drove in a pair of runs and Minnesota survived a ninth-inning scare to take a 6-5 decision over Texas in the finale of a three-game series from Target Field.</p>
<p>Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy also collected an <span class="caps">RBI</span> each for the Twins, who swept the set from the AL West leaders and have won eight of their last 10 games.</p>
<p>Nick Blackburn (9-9) allowed six hits and two runs over seven solid innings, fanning four with three walks for Minnesota, which maintained its 3 1/2 game lead over Chicago in the AL Central after the White Sox topped Boston.</p>
<p>Matt Capps earned his ninth save despite allowing two runs to score and being charged with a run on three hits while recording the final out of the game.</p>
<p>Matt Treanor drove in two while Julio Borbon, Cristian Guzman and Vladimir Guerrero added <span class="caps">RBI</span> hits in the ninth for the Rangers, who slid to their sixth loss in eight outings.</p>
<p>C.J. Wilson (14-6) was tagged in the loss for seven hits and six runs, striking out five but walking four over 5 1/3 frames.</p>
<p>Jon Rauch turned in a scoreless eighth but allowed an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double from Borbon with two down in the ninth and departed with a runner on second.</p>
<p>Capps was called upon but Guzman hit a run-scoring single for a 6-4 game. Young followed with a base hit and David Murphy walked to load the bases. Guerrero then sent a ball up the middle. It was fielded by Hudson behind second base and he threw to third behind Young, who was trying to go back to the base.</p>
<p>Although Guzman scored to make it a one-run game, Young was called out due to runners interference — incidental contact with Texas’ third-base coach — while rounding the bag.</p>
<p>Cudddyer’s two-run double in the first staked the Twins to the lead, then the Rangers countered in their next at-bat with a Treanor two-run single.</p>
<p>Minnesota got a run back in the home second as Hardy and Matt Tolbert both walked, Jason Repko beat out a bunt single and Span’s sacrifice fly plated the go-ahead run.</p>
<p>The home team put up three more runs in the sixth. Jason Kubel and Delmon Young stroked back-to-back singles then a Hardy hit plated one run. Repko walked two batters later to load the bases then Span also walked to force in a run and chase Wilson.</p>
<p>Michael Kirkman then allowed a sac fly from Hudson to make it 6-2 before retiring Joe Mauer on a fly out.</p>
<p>Blackburn finished his performance by sending the Rangers down in order in the sixth then working around a Guzman double in the seventh.</p>
<p>Game Notes</p>
<p>Minnesota won seven of the 10 meetings with Texas this season, including a perfect 6-0 mark at home…The Rangers announced Sunday that outfielder Josh Hamilton will be out for an undetermined period of time while recovering from a bruised left ribcage suffered on Saturday…Both clubs are in action on Monday as the Twins stay home to host Kansas City while the Rangers head to Toronto to start a four-game set.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2010/9/5/1671662/texas-swept-by-minnesota-comeback-falls-shortJP Starkey2010-09-05T13:23:10-05:002010-09-05T13:23:10-05:00Follow CJ Wilson's Start Live
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<p>To follow along with today’s game live and discuss the game as it happens with Rangers fans, head over to <a href="http://www.lonestarball.com/2010/9/5/1671021/game-136-game-day-thread" target="new">Lone Star Ball and join the game thread.</a></p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2010/9/5/1671255/follow-cj-wilsons-start-liveJP Starkey2010-09-05T10:47:12-05:002010-09-05T10:47:12-05:00C.J. Wilson, Rangers Look To Salvage Series Against Twins
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<p>(Sports Network) - Hoping to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a>, the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Texas Rangers</a> may have the right pitcher on the mound today to accomplish that goal.</p>
<p><span>C.J. Wilson</span> will attempt to register his eighth consecutive winning decision when he gets the call for Texas in Sunday's finale of this three-game series between division leaders from Target Field. The converted reliever has been nothing short of sensational since the All-Star break, having amassed a 7-0 record and a 1.99 earned run average over nine second-half starts, while limiting the opposition to a .196 batting average.</p>
<p>Wilson has posted a 0.90 ERA in winning each of his last four outings, including a 4-3 decision over the Twins on August 25 in which he surrendered three runs (two earned) in six innings. The left-hander backed up that effort by firing 7 2/3 shutout frames to best Kansas City on Monday, with the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Royals</a> mustering a mere two hits off of him.</p>
<p>The 29-year-old hasn't lost since July 11, but was dealt a defeat at Target Field back in May after being reached for five runs in six innings. For his career, Wilson is 1-2 with a 3.34 in 19 games against Minnesota, all but two of which have been in relief.</p>
<p>Wilson will also be trying to give the Rangers an elusive first-ever victory at first-year Target Field. After being swept in a three-game set in Minneapolis from May 28-30, Texas has dropped the first two tests of this series and was handed a 12-4 loss to the AL Central front-running Twins yesterday.</p>
<p><span>Jim Thome</span> socked a pair of home runs, including a milestone three-run shot in the fourth inning, and finished with four RBI in Saturday's rout, while <span>Matt Tolbert</span> knocked in a career-high five runs and tripled twice for Minnesota. <span>J.J. Hardy</span> also had a big day at the plate for the Twins, with the shortstop going 3-for-4 with two RBI.</p>
<p>Thome's two long balls give the veteran slugger 584 over the course of his outstanding career and moved him past Mark McGwire for ninth place on baseball's all-time list for that category. The 40-year-old is now two homers shy of matching Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for seventh place.</p>
<p>"It's very humbling, but the main goal is where we're at as a team," said Thome when asked about passing McGwire. "If you can do something to help the team win as a group, it's about that. It's not about an individual."</p>
<p>The Twins did receive a strong individual performance from pitcher <span>Carl Pavano</span> (16-10) in prevailing for the seventh time in their last nine games. The capable starter threw the first eight innings on Saturday and allowed three runs on eight hits to earn his 16th win of the season.</p>
<p>Texas' <span>Colby Lewis</span> (9-12) wasn't nearly as effective, permitting a whopping nine runs on eight hits before exiting after only 3 2/3 innings.</p>
<p>The Rangers have now lost five of their past seven contests following Saturday's result. Although the club still holds an eight-game advantage on Oakland for first place in the AL West, it fell 3 1/2 games back of the Twins in the league standings, which could factor into playoff positioning in the future.</p>
<p>"We got to play better," said second baseman <span>Ian Kinsler</span>, who went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in yesterday's setback. "[Saturday] was a rough game. We've kind of done this the whole year, and we know we just have to play better."</p>
<p>Minnesota also owns a 3 1/2-game lead on the second-place <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago White Sox</a> in the AL Central and will send <span>Nick Blackburn</span> to the hill for today's finale. The right-hander had initially been slated to pitch Friday's opener, but was pushed back after being forced into relief during a 13-inning clash with Detroit on Thursday.</p>
<p>Blackburn took the loss in that game after serving up a go-ahead homer to <span>Gerald Laird</span> in his lone inning of work, but was fantastic in his most recent starting assignment. That came in Seattle on August 28, with the 28-year-old allowing only two hits and coming one out away from earning his first career shutout.</p>
<p>This will Blackburn's third start since returning from a near month-long stint in the minors, with his first coming against the Rangers in Arlington on August 23. He gave up three runs over a solid seven innings that night, but didn't get any offensive support in a 4-0 loss.</p>
<p>The Oklahoma native is 0-2 with a 4.26 ERA over three career encounters with Texas, which took three of four meetings from the Twins at Rangers Ballpark last month.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/2010/9/5/2320516/c-j-wilson-rangers-look-to-salvage-series-against-twinsJP Starkey