Byron Buxton made his long-anticipated return to the lineup as the Minnesota Twins picked up a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
Buxton returned after missing 39 games with a right hip strain. Although the Twins sent fan favorite Willians Astudillo to St. Paul to make room, Buxton made an impact, going 1-for-4 and reaching on an error.
While Buxton’s return energized the Twins, Randy Dobnak gave the Rangers an early lead by serving up a two-run homer to Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the top of the fourth inning. Nelson Cruz answered in the bottom half, launching a two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2.
Nelly homers are bigger in Texas.#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/tDttpQzpRa
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) June 19, 2021
Kiner-Falefa’s homer was the only blemish of the day for Dobnak, who allowed two runs over five innings before turning it over to the bullpen. With Kolby Allard holding the Twins in check, they would have to wait until the seventh inning to take advantage of the Rangers’ bullpen.
After Max Kepler drew a walk and stole second base, John King threw a pair of wild pitches that helped the Twins take the lead without the benefit of a hit.
The Rangers mounted a pair of rallies to get the tying run on base but Hansel Robles struck out Adolis Garcia to end the eighth inning and Taylor Rogers got Eli White to fly out to Buxton in the ninth to end the game.
The Twins (29-41) will go for the series sweep on Sunday when they send Kenta Maeda to the mound against Dane Dunning. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m.
