Rangers rally to top Twins in 13 innings
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Ian Kinsler singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning, lifting the Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Twins in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday.
Michael Young sparked the rally with a leadoff double before David Murphy was intentionally walked and Mike Napoli singled to load the bases.
Craig Gentry hit a grounder to shortstop Brian Dozier, who fired home to catch Young at the plate for the first out.
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Kinsler then ripped a 1-2 curveball from Alex Burnett (2-2) to the warning track in left-center field to plate Murphy and complete the comeback victory for the Rangers.
Kinsler finished with four hits, while Young plated a pair with a two-out base hit in a three-run ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Scott Feldman (3-6) earned the victory after pitching the 12th and 13th innings for the Rangers, who have won two straight and sit atop the American League West going into the All-Star break.
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"I think if you told us that's where we were going to be at the beginning of the season, I'm sure most of us would take that," said Kinsler. "It's been a good first half."
Minnesota starter Cole De Vries spun seven shutout innings of three-hit ball, but had his impressive start spoiled by Young's game-tying single in the ninth.
"He did a good job of keeping us off-balance," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of De Vries. "We still had opportunities early in the game to cash some runs in but he pitched around all of that. But we just kept battling."
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The Twins have dropped four of their last five games.
The Rangers managed just four hits over the first eight frames and trailed 3-0 but used a four-hit ninth off Glen Perkins to tie the game.
Kinsler reached second on Dozier's throwing error to start the frame and a wild pitch pushed him to third before he scored on Elvis Andrus' groundout.
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Josh Hamilton popped out, but Adrian Beltre followed with a single and Nelson Cruz clubbed a double to right to put the tying run in scoring position.
Young got down 0-2 before ripping a slider to right to score Beltre and Cruz to tie the game. Four innings later the Rangers would win it, and the Twins found no comfort in a tough beat.
"We lost," said Perkins. "It's not the NHL. You don't get an extra point or anything like that."
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The Twins built their lead by plating a run in the sixth on Justin Morneau's two-out single into center field to score Joe Mauer for a 1-0 edge.
Minnesota added two big runs in the ninth after Ryan Doumit and Trevor Plouffe clubbed consecutive singles before Dozier followed with a bunt.
Rangers reliever Joe Nathan fielded the bunt, but his throw to first was wild, allowing Doumit to score from second as the Twins grabbed a 2-0 lead.
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After Jamey Carroll struck out, Denard Span lifted a sacrifice fly to right, plating Plouffe to give the visitors a 3-0 edge.
Game Notes
Texas leads the Angels by four games in the AL West...The Twins head into the All-Star break in the basement of the AL Central with a 36-49 record, 11 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox...Texas starter Roy Oswalt allowed one run on five hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings...The game was delayed 46 minutes in the fourth inning due to rain.