Right fielder Luke Keaschall went 4-for-5 with three RBI, and second baseman Kody Clemens went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Texas Rangers 10-2 at Target Field on Friday night. Joe Ryan tossed a gem in what could have been his final start in a Twins uniform, allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight over six innings. Impressively, the Twins scored eight runs off Rangers ace Jacob deGrom.
The Houston Astros owe the Twins a big thank you for Friday's win. If the Twins had lost Friday, the Rangers would have claimed sole possession of first place in the American League West. Even though the Astros lost to the Athletics on Friday, they are still in first place with a 79-81 record.
The Rangers are also 79-81, but the Astros hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, meaning Texas must finish the season with a better record than Houston to make the playoffs. Neither the Rangers nor the Astros can make the postseason as a Wild Card team, so the winner of the West will make the playoffs, and the second-place team will be out.
The Astros and Rangers each have two regular-season games remaining. The Astros control their destiny; if Houston wins its next two games, it will make the playoffs.
But if the Astros lose just one of their next two games, the Rangers could win the division. Here are the possible scenarios where the Rangers make the playoffs:
- Rangers go 2-0; Astros go 1-1
- Rangers go 1-1; Astros go 0-2
Minnesota Twins can play spoiler against the Texas Rangers at Target Field this weekend
The Twins have the opportunity to play spoiler against the Rangers this weekend and may have already done so with their win on Friday.
The Twins are scheduled to play the Rangers at Target Field at 3:10 p.m. CDT on Saturday. The weather forecast doesn't look great, so the game could be delayed. The series finale (and the Twins' final game of the season) is scheduled to start at 2:10 p.m. CDT on Sunday.
Bailey Ober is scheduled to throw for the Twins on Saturday. Nathan Eovaldi will pitch for the Rangers. Dean Kremer will start the season finale for Minnesota. Texas hasn't announced its starter for Sunday's game yet.
Twins fans can watch the final two games of the season on Twins.TV.
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