Back to Sport

Twins Surge Past Rangers Behind Matthews’ Dominant Outing

Minnesota Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews struck out four over seven scoreless innings as the Twins defeated the Texas Rangers 12-2 at Globe Life Field on Wednesday.

Tessa Esparza

June 17, 20262 min read

MLBFinal
Minnesota Twins12
Texas Rangers2

June 17, 2026

A Seven-Inning Masterclass

Zebby Matthews delivered a commanding performance on the mound for the Minnesota Twins, shutting down the Texas Rangers offense for seven innings. Matthews allowed just eight hits and two earned runs while issuing no walks and recording four strikeouts. His efficiency set the tone for a lopsided victory that saw Minnesota secure a 12-2 win at Globe Life Field.

The Twins’ offense exploded early and often, capitalizing on defensive miscues and timely hitting. The scoring began in the first inning when Larnach launched a 425-foot home run to right field, giving Minnesota a 1-0 lead. The advantage grew shortly after when Bell singled to left, driving in Buxton to make it 2-0.

Four-Round Knockout in the Fourth

The game effectively ended as a contest in the fourth inning, where the Twins poured in six runs. Clemens homered to right field (367 feet), scoring Larnach and Buxton to extend the lead to 5-0. The barrage continued immediately after. Lewis singled to center, bringing in Buxton and Jackson to push the score to 7-0.

The inning’s momentum was further amplified by an error. Bell doubled to right field, but the throw by right fielder Nimno went awry, allowing Clemens and Lewis to score on the mistake, making it 9-0. Keaschall then singled to left, adding an insurance run to make it 10-0 before the Rangers could respond.

Rangers Struggle to Contain

The Texas Rangers managed to get on the board in the fourth inning when Duran grounded into a fielder's choice, allowing Langford to score. However, the Twins’ lead remained insurmountable. In the fifth, Díaz doubled to center, scoring Osuna to make it 10-2.

On the mound for Texas, Kumar Rocker took the loss after allowing six earned runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings. He was joined by Cal Quantrill, who gave up three earned runs in 0.2 innings, and Tyler Alexander, who pitched two hitless innings. Joe Ross and Kyle Higashioka also appeared in relief, with Higashioka allowing two earned runs in his single inning of work.

Closing Out the Contest

Minnesota added two more runs in the ninth inning to finalize the 12-2 score. Jackson doubled to center, scoring Keaschall, and Fedko hit a sacrifice fly to left, bringing Jackson home. Travis Adams and Cody Laweryson closed the game for the Twins, combining for three strikeouts and no earned runs.

With the victory, the Minnesota Twins improved their record to 35-40. The Texas Rangers fell to 35-38. The game drew an attendance of 27,463 spectators to Arlington.

Sources

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

Share

Tessa Esparza

Tessa Esparza covers Little Elm high school and area college sports.

Related Stories