Twins Defeat Slumping Rangers 4-1, Eliminating Texas from Playoff Contention

ARLINGTON, Texas — Zebby Matthews delivered a dominant performance on the mound Tuesday night, helping the Minnesota Twins to a 4-1 victory over the Texas Rangers, who dropped their eighth straight game and were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

Matthews (5-6) gave up his only run on a leadoff homer by Joc Pederson in the first inning but quickly settled in. The 25-year-old right-hander went seven strong innings, allowing just four hits — including only three singles after Pederson’s blast — while striking out six and issuing no walks. He retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced, with the only baserunner coming on an error.

The loss marks a dramatic collapse for the Rangers (79-78), who were just two games out of the AL West lead on September 13 and squarely in the wild-card race after going 13-3 with a pair of six-game winning streaks. They have not won since and now sit 5½ games behind Houston for the final AL playoff spot, with only five games remaining.

Minnesota (68-89) took the lead in the third inning after Kody Clemens opened with a double and scored on a fielder’s choice by Byron Buxton. Buxton then came home on a single by Ryan Jeffries. Clemens later added an RBI single in the sixth.

Texas starter Patrick Corbin (7-11) allowed two runs on four hits over 3⅔ innings. He was the first of six pitchers used by the Rangers. Cole Sands earned his third save of the season for Minnesota, pitching a perfect ninth inning.

The Rangers’ current eight-game skid matches their longest losing streak since August 2023 — the same season they went on to win their first World Series title.

Up Next:
Texas will send Jacob deGrom (12-8, 3.01 ERA) to the mound Wednesday night for his 30th start of the season. The two-time Cy Young winner is continuing his comeback after missing most of the past two years due to Tommy John surgery. Taj Bradley (6-8, 5.20 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Twins.