MINNEAPOLIS — The Rangers' middle infield, signed to a half-billion dollars worth of contracts last winter, accounted for two of the Twins' runs on Saturday night. At those prices, it only makes sense that they chipped in for their own team, too.
Corey Seager, the $325 million shortstop, lined a single down the right-field line in the 10th inning Saturday, scoring Marcus Semien, the $175 million second baseman, from second base. Seager then scored an insurance run on Mark Mathias' single up the middle, and Texas held on for a 4-3 victory at Target Field.
The loss snapped Minnesota's four-game winning streak and prevented the Twins from catching Cleveland in the AL Central standings. It also frustrated a team that needed a couple of fielding mistakes and some good luck on the bases to mount any offense at all.
The Twins capitalized on an errant throw by Seager and a bobbled relay by Semien, turning each — with a dab of baserunning aggressiveness — into two runs.
Seager's bad throw allowed Jake Cave to reach first base with one out in the fifth inning, and Rangers starter Glenn Otto moved him to second by walking ninth-place hitter Gary Sanchez. Luis Arraez then stroked a line drive that looped just over Seager's reach, allowing Cave, aggressively running on contact despite the danger of the ball being caught, to easily score the Twins' first run.
Three innings later, with the Twins trailing by a run, Max Kepler drew a two-out walk against Rangers left-hander Matt Moore. Jose Miranda then lined a 3-and-2 change-up into right-center for a single.
Kepler, running on the pitch, rounded second and didn't slow up as he approached third base, even as the throw came in from center fielder Leody Taveras. But the ball popped out of Semien's glove and Kepler crossed home plate untouched, tying the game and eventually sending it to extra innings.
Chris Archer allowed only one run over five innings, and it came right away. Semien, who hadn't cracked a double in four weeks, led off the game by lacing a slider off the wall in left-center, winding up on second base and in position to score when Adolis Garcia doubled to deep right-center three batters later.
Archer retired seven hitters in a row and allowed only one more hit before giving way to Devin Smeltzer in the sixth.
Smeltzer, too, got in trouble right away, and three singles by the first five hitters, the last a liner to left by Ezequiel Duran, turned into another Texas run.
The Twins' eighth inning rally eventually sent it to extra innings, where Minnesota lost for the eighth time in 12 games — but not without some last-minute drama, courtesy once again of some sloppy Rangers defense. With one out and two runners on base, Jorge Polanco hit a double-play ball toward Semien, but he dropped it and was forced to throw to first base for just one out.
Kepler followed with a dribbler up the first-base line which Texas closer Jonathan Hernandez grabbed, and then dropped. Kepler was safe, Luis Arraez scored, and the Twins had one more chance. But Jose Miranda flew out to left field, and Thompson didn't drop his chance to end the game.
