Luplow, Vazquez end slumps with homers for Twins in 5-1 win over slumping Rangers
Jordan Luplow and Christian Vázquez snapped extended slumps with home runs in the go-ahead seventh inning and the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins beat the slumping Texas Rangers 5-1 on Friday night.
Minnesota right-hander Joe Ryan (10-8) had seven strikeouts and allowed only one run and three hits over six innings.
Max Scherzer also struck out seven, allowing only one hit over six scoreless innings before Texas' bullpen gave up a 1-0 lead. The lone hit off the three-time Cy Young Award winner was when Royce Lewis was credited with an infield single on a sharp grounder off third baseman Ezequiel Duran in the fourth.
The Rangers (75-59) lost for the 11th time in 14 games. They returned home from a 3-6 trip having lost the AL West lead they had held for 148 of the season's first 149 days, but started the day only a game behind the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros.
Brock Burke (5-3) took over for Texas to start the seventh, when Carlos Correa ended his own 0-for-12 slide with a one-out single before pinch-hitter Luplow went the opposite way with a 381-foot drive to right after being hitless his previous 16 at-bats. Vázquez broke out of an 0-for-18 drought with a solo homer.
Jorge Polanco add a two-run shot in the eighth off Josh Sborz, the second Texas reliver.
All-Star shortstop Corey Seager hit his 26th homer for Texas, and officially qualified as the AL leader with his .345 batting average. Seager has missed 40 games this season because of two stints on the injured list, and didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify until his fourth at-bat Friday. Tampa Bay third baseman Yandy Diaz began the day as the AL leader at .327.
SHORT HOPS
Twins CF Andrew Stevenson made a leaping catch at the wall in the fourth that likely took a two-run homer away from Mitch Garver. That was the same inning Seager led off by going deep. ... Scherzer has a 2.21 ERA in his six starts for Texas since being acquired from the New York Mets. He has 47 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: Byron Buxton (right hamstring strain) was pulled from his second rehab game at Triple-A St. Paul after reporting increased soreness in his patella tendon (knee). The Twins said he would be re-evaluated. ... Utility player Willi Castro (left oblique strain), who returned home from rehab at St. Paul for the birth of his second daughter Thursday, is expected to join the Twins in Texas, and could be activated Sunday.
Rangers: All-Star RHP Nathan Eovaldi (right forearm strain) threw an extended bullpen session. He hasn't pitched since July 18, his only start since the All-Star break. The Rangers plans to see how he feels this weekend coming out of that session. Without any setbacks, he could pitch as early as next week without doing a rehab assignment. ... Manager Bruce Bochy said All-Star rookie 3B Josh Jung (left thumb fracture) is feeling good, but is still at least 2-3 weeks away from returning.
UP NEXT
A matchup of left-handers Saturday when 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel pitches for the Twins against Jordan Montgomery, who is 2-1 with 2.30 ERA in five starts for Texas since being acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline. The 35-year-old Keuchel signed a free-agent deal in June, and is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in four games (three starts) since getting called up by the Twins.