The Texas Rangers dropped their series finale to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, 6-5. With the win, the Twins avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
While the Rangers had a tough time doing anything offensively after the first inning against Twins pitcher Cole De Vries, Texas starter Scott Feldman was busy getting pounded for six runs (five earned) on 10 hits before being able to get out of the sixth inning. By the time the Rangers got things going in the bottom of the sixth (on Josh Hamilton's 35th homer of the year), they were trailing by four runs. Hamilton's shot cut the lead in half, and Nelson Cruz went deep two batters later, trimming the Twins' advantage to 6-5.
Minnesota's bullpen bore down after that, as Casey Fien was key during a stretch of an inning and two-thirds in which he kept the Rangers off the board and struck out three batters in the process. The Rangers' bullpen did its job as well, but by that time it was too late.
The Rangers stay at home for another series starting on Monday, as the Tampa Bay Rays come to town for a key three-game set with possible postseason implications.
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