The Minnesota Twins got back into the win column with their 3-2, comeback victory over the Texas Rangers.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning the Twins appeared in jeopardy of dropping another game and falling further in the Wild Card standings.
Aug 11, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer (7) hits a RBI double in eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Target Field. The Twins won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Eduardo Escobar started the rally in the eighth inning with a leadoff walk. With two outs in the inning, Joe Mauer drove in Escobar with an RBI double. It was Mauer’s 21 double of the season and his 48 RBI.
Miguel Sano then traded places with Mauer when he hit an RBI double of his own to tie the game at two.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game, Escobar lined one down the right field line for an RBI double that scored Kurt Suzuki for the game-winning run.
Kyle Gibson pitched six solid innings, giving up two earned runs and seven hits. He also recorded seven strikeouts and became the first Twins pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts on the year.
Casey Fien, Ryan O’Rourke, Kevin Jepsen and Glen Perkins combined to pitch three scoreless innings out of the bullpen and gave up just one hit.
The Twins will send Mike Pelfrey to the mound for the second game of the series. Pelfrey faced the Rangers in June and gave up eight runs in 3.2 innings pitched. With a win tonight the Twins will get their first series win since the All-Star break.
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