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Twins Surge Past Rangers 12-2 Behind Matthews' Dominant Outing

Zebby Matthews pitched seven scoreless innings as the Minnesota Twins unleashed a nine-run fourth inning to defeat the Texas Rangers 12-2 at Globe Life Field.

Cody Ferris

June 17, 20262 min read

MLBFinal
Minnesota Twins12
Texas Rangers2

June 17, 2026

A Fourth-Inning Explosion Seals the Victory

The Minnesota Twins transformed a comfortable lead into a decisive 12-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, driven by a massive offensive outburst in the fourth inning. After building a 5-0 advantage early, Minnesota added four more runs in the fourth frame to effectively put the game out of reach. The win improves the Twins' record to 35-40, while the Rangers drop to 35-38.

Matthews Masters the Mound

Zebby Matthews earned the win for Minnesota, delivering a masterful performance on the mound. He pitched seven innings, allowing only eight hits and two earned runs while striking out four batters and issuing no walks. His efficiency set the tone for the evening. Travis Adams closed out the eighth with a perfect inning, recording three strikeouts. Cody Laweryson secured the final three outs in the ninth, walking one batter and striking out one.

On the Rangers' side, Kumar Rocker took the loss after struggling to contain the Twins' offense. He pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits and six earned runs while striking out four. Cal Quantrill followed, allowing three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. Tyler Alexander, Joe Ross, and Kyle Higashioka combined for the remainder of the game, with Alexander and Ross each pitching two scoreless innings before Higashioka allowed two earned runs in the ninth.

Scoring Highlights and Key Moments

Minnesota’s offense woke up in the first inning. Josh Larnach launched a 425-foot home run to right field, providing the initial 1-0 lead. Mitch Garver then singled to left, bringing Alex Buxton home to make it 2-0. The Twins broke the game open in the third when Austin Clemens homered to right (367 feet), scoring Larnach and Buxton for a 5-0 advantage.

The fourth inning was pivotal. Clemens singled to center, scoring Buxton and Matt Olson to extend the lead to 7-0. Garrett Bell then doubled to right, and an error by right fielder Starling Nimmo allowed Clemens and Olson to score, making it 9-0. Keaschall singled to left, adding another run for a 10-0 lead. The Rangers managed a run in the fourth when Josh Duran grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Adolis García, but the damage was done.

Texas added a second run in the fifth when Nathaniel Lowe doubled to center, scoring Ezequiel Duran. The Twins tacked on two more runs in the ninth. Matt Olson doubled to center, scoring Keaschall, and Austin Fedko hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Olson, finalizing the 12-2 score. The game was played in front of 27,463 fans at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401815783

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Cody Ferris

Cody Ferris covers Van Alstyne Panthers athletics and area high school and college sports.

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