Buxton Homers Twice, Twins Blank Rangers 4-0 Behind Ober’s Strong Start

ARLINGTON, TX — Byron Buxton hit two home runs, including his second consecutive leadoff blast, as the Minnesota Twins shut out the Texas Rangers 4-0 on Thursday night.

Bailey Ober (6-9) delivered six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five. It was his first scoreless start of the season, matching a season-low for hits allowed. His last scoreless outing came on September 7, 2024, against Kansas City.

Buxton opened the game with his 10th leadoff home run of the season, following another in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to Texas. He added a three-run shot in the eighth inning, crushing a 437-foot homer to center off reliever Chris Martin. The blast would have been a home run in all 30 MLB parks. Buxton’s performance also pushed him past 533 plate appearances, earning him a $500,000 bonus.

The Twins (69-90) out-hit the Rangers (80-79) by a 10-3 margin. Buxton, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien, and Christian Vázquez each had two hits.

Minnesota turned a crucial strikeout-double play in the fifth inning, preserving a 1-0 lead when Kyle Higashioka struck out and Alejandro Osuna was caught stealing.

Kody Funderburk threw a hitless seventh with two strikeouts, and Cole Sands closed the ninth with one punchout.

Rangers starter Tyler Mahle (6-4) allowed one run over five innings, giving up five hits and striking out four.

Up Next:

• Rangers: Head to Cleveland to face the Guardians, who lead the AL Central by one game. Jack Leiter (9-10, 3.92 ERA) takes the mound against Slade Cecconi (7-6, 4.15 ERA).
• Twins: Travel to Philadelphia to take on the NL East champion Phillies. Joe Ryan (13-9, 3.47 ERA) will face Aaron Nola (4-10, 6.46 ERA).