Arraez, Miranda homer back-to-back; Twins beat Rangers 2-1

Updated Aug. 19, 2022 11:13 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, and that was enough for Dylan Bundy as the Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on Friday night.

Bundy (7-5) gave up a run on just two hits in 5 1/3 innings. Minnesota won its fourth game in a row and kept pace with Cleveland, which leads the Twins by one game in the American League Central. Jorge López walked a pair of batters but closed out his third save with the Twins and 22nd overall.

Arraez, the AL batting leader, opened the scoring with his seventh homer of the year. He had six homers in 245 major league games coming into the season. Miranda, the rookie who was the team’s minor league player of the year last season, followed with his 12th homer.

Martín Pérez (9-4) surrendered two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings. The former Twins left-hander had seven strikeouts. He’s allowed more than three runs just four times in 24 starts this season, including a six-run outing against Minnesota on July 9.

Adolis García led off the second with a single to extend his hitting streak to 16 games, the longest active streak in the majors and the longest for Texas since Elvis Andrus hit safely in 19 straight in 2018.

The Rangers have lost three of four and 13 of 17 since the All-Star break.

García’s single was the only hit against Bundy through the fifth. Rookie Bubba Thompson singled to start the sixth and stole second base. Thompson scored on Nathaniel Lowe’s single off reliever Caleb Thielbar.

It was the first run allowed by the Twins after 31 straight scoreless innings, falling one short of the club record set in 2004.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Joe Barlow was placed on the 15-day injured list with another recurrence of a blister on his right index finger. Barlow, who has been Texas’ closer for much of the season, has 13 saves and a 3.16 ERA this season. RHP A.J. Alexy was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock.

Twins: RHP Tyler Mahle (shoulder fatigue) will not throw for a few days and he’s unlikely to start in his next turn in the rotation. The team hasn’t decided if he will have a stint on the injured list. … 2B Jorge Polanco was back in the lineup after missing three games with knee soreness.

UP NEXT

RHP Chris Archer (2-6, 4.15 ERA) will start for Minnesota on Saturday evening in the second game of the four-game series. Texas will counter with RHP Glenn Otto (5-8, 4.96). Archer gave up three runs in four innings in his last start. Otto has allowed two runs or less in his last three starts.

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