Minnesota Twins vs Texas Rangers Box Score on Sep 02, 2018

Jurickson Profar, Robinson Chirinos and Nomar Mazara each hit two-run home runs in a nine-run sixth inning and Yohander Mendez picked up his first major league win by throwing six shutout innings as the Texas Rangers crushed the Minnesota Twins 18-4 on Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.

Profar, who went 4-for-5, also had a pair of doubles and scored three runs, while Mazara added a second home run in the eighth. Elvis Andrus and Drew Robinson also homered for Texas, which won its second straight. Rougned Odor had a double and scored three runs and Carlos Tocci added a triple for the Rangers who set a club record with 13 extra base hits (the previous mark of 12 was set in 1986 against the Twins in the Metrodome).

Mendez (1-1) gave up just three hits and a walk while striking out struck out two in his second big league start. Eddie Butler pitched the final three innings to pick up his second save.

Lefty reliever Gabriel Moya (3-1), who took the role of "opener" for Minnesota and made his first career start, gave up the two-run homer to Andrus in his only inning of work, departing after throwing just 22 pitches and ultimately taking the loss. Zack Littell then took over and gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits in four innings as the Twins became the fourth team in the majors to use the "opener" strategy first employed successfully by Tampa Bay.

Texas then blew the game open with the nine-run sixth inning that, along with the three home runs, included an RBI double by Shin-Soo Choo and a two-run fielding error by Minnesota first baseman Chris Gimenez. The inning also featured the ejection of Twins reliever Matt Belisle by home plate umpire Alan Porter after Belisle hit Adrian Beltre with a pitch.

Tocci made it 13-0 when he tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Odor in the seventh. Jake Cave then broke up the shutout with a solo homer in the eighth off Butler, his 10th home run of the season and third in three games. Ehire Adrianza later added an RBI single in the inning.

Mazara hit his second homer of the game and 20th of the season leading off the eighth against Gimenez as the Twins turned to a position player to finish the game on the mound. Robinson added a three-run blast to highlight the five-run inning.

Gimenez, who pitched the eighth and gave up five runs on six hits, smacked a two-run homer in the ninth to conclude the scoring.

--Field Level Media