The Minnesota Twins turned their second triple play of the season on Monday night, but their bats went silent and Byron Buxton left with a leg injury in a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers.
The Twins had several opportunities to go ahead early, including a bases-loaded rally in the first and another scoring chance in the third inning. Although they weren’t able to cash in, Nick Gordon got Minnesota on the board when he delivered an RBI double in the fourth.
Armed with a 1-0 lead, Sonny Gray kept Texas off the board with the help of a triple play in the fourth inning. Although that preserved the Twins’ lead, Texas jumped in front with an Adolis Garcia home run in the fifth and an RBI single from Corey Seager in the sixth.
Yes way, Jose – triple play! pic.twitter.com/9NfNTANKsG
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 23, 2022
Things got worse for the Twins in the fifth inning when Buxton injured himself on a swing in the fifth. Although he stayed in the game, he struck out on a pitch well outside the strike zone and got into a heated argument with home plate umpire Malachai Moore.
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Buxton was replaced Jake Cave in the seventh inning and is listed as day-to-day with right leg tightness. Without Buxton, the Twins were shut down by the Texas bullpen and Matt Moore closed the door to lead the Rangers to the series victory.
The Twins fell to two games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. Things won’t get easier as Minnesota hits the road to begin a three-game series with the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
