GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: MINNESOTA (21-24) at TEXAS (18-28)

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - PITCHING CHANGE
TEX: JOAQUIN BENOIT (1-1, 3.74) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3

DUE UP FOR MINNESOTA: T HUNTER (.317, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Benoit relieved F Francisco.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: MINNESOTA 5
TEXAS 3 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR MINNESOTA: T Hunter (.317, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
MINNESOTA 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 0
TEXAS 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 11 1 (BOT 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: MIN - PAT NESHEK
TEX - JOAQUIN BENOIT

DUE UP FOR TEXAS: M TEIXEIRA (.303, 2-FOR-4, 2 RBI)
V DIAZ (.271, 1-FOR-4)
N CRUZ (.205, 0-FOR-2, BB, HBP)</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">MINNESOTA (5) VS TEXAS (3) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

MINNESOTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
L Castillo 2b 5 1 3 1 0 0 2 .329
J Tyner dh 4 1 0 1 0 0 4 .253
M Cuddyer rf 3 0 0 0 2 2 4 .269
J Morneau 1b 5 1 1 1 0 1 5 .282
T Hunter cf 4 0 1 1 1 1 0 .315
J Kubel lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 .252
L Ford lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .214
L Rodriguez 3b 4 1 0 0 1 0 4 .194
C Heintz c 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .250
N Punto ss 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 .230

Totals 35 5 8 4 8 4 24

BATTING: HR - J Morneau (14, 3rd inning off R Tejeda 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - T
Hunter (40), L Castillo (7), J Morneau (33), J Tyner (10). 2-out RBI - T
Hunter. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Cuddyer 2, C Heintz 1, J
Morneau 1, L Rodriguez 2, J Kubel 2. Team LOB - 12.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Kubel (2, 2nd base off R Tejeda/C Stewart), N Punto (5,
2nd base off F Francisco/C Stewart).


TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
K Lofton cf 5 2 3 0 0 0 1 .267
M Young ss 4 0 1 0 1 0 3 .240
M Teixeira dh 4 0 2 2 0 1 1 .303
V Diaz rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 .271
N Cruz lf 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 .205
I Kinsler 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .240
R Vazquez 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 3 .600
M Kata 1b 4 0 0 0 0 4 2 .220
C Stewart c 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .250
a-F Catalanotto ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .164
G Laird c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233

Totals 35 3 11 3 2 10 21

a-singled to left for C Stewart in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - K Lofton (6, B Bonser); M Teixeira (15, B Bonser). RBI - M
Teixeira 2 (29), F Catalanotto (10). 2-out RBI - F Catalanotto. Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - R Vazquez 2, M Young 1, N Cruz 2. Team LOB - 11.

BASERUNNING: SB - K Lofton (15, 2nd base off B Bonser/C Heintz).

FIELDING: E - C Stewart (2, throw). PB - C Stewart.


----------------------------------------------------
MINNESOTA - 111 200 000 -- 5
TEXAS - 101 000 01 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

MINNESOTA ip h r er bb so hr era
B Bonser 5 6 2 2 2 6 0 3.88
M Guerrier 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 1.93
J Rincon 2/3 3 1 1 0 2 0 3.18
P Neshek 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.27

TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
R Tejeda 3 7 5 5 3 3 1 5.18
C Wilson 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 2.35
W Eyre 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.86
F Francisco 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.76
J Benoit 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.57

R Tejeda pitched to 2 batters in the 4th.

WP - C Wilson 2, J Rincon. IBB - T Hunter (by C Wilson). HBP - N Cruz (by B
Bonser); J Tyner (by F Francisco). Pitches-strikes: B Bonser 101-63; M Guerrier
29-18; J Rincon 24-16; P Neshek 4-2; R Tejeda 86-52; C Wilson 40-20; W Eyre
16-10; F Francisco 22-12; J Benoit 15-10. Ground balls-fly balls: B Bonser 2-7;
M Guerrier 2-2; J Rincon 0-0; P Neshek 0-1; R Tejeda 2-4; C Wilson 5-1; W Eyre
5-1; F Francisco 0-2; J Benoit 2-1. Batters faced: B Bonser 24; M Guerrier 8; J
Rincon 5; P Neshek 1; R Tejeda 19; C Wilson 10; W Eyre 6; F Francisco 5; J
Benoit 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Marvin Hudson. 1B--Jerry Layne. 2B--Ed Montague. 3B--Bill
Miller.

Weather: 81 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 14 mph, in from center.</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - PITCHING CHANGE
MIN: JOE NATHAN (1-1, 2.33) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3

DUE UP FOR TEXAS: M TEIXEIRA (.303, 2-FOR-4, 2 RBI)</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Nathan relieved P Neshek.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: MINNESOTA 5
TEXAS 3 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR TEXAS: M Teixeira (.303, 2-FOR-4, 2 RBI)</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: S Sosa hit for R Vazquez.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, I KINSLER ON FIRST, N CRUZ ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: MINNESOTA 5
TEXAS 3 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR TEXAS: S Sosa (.268, 10 HR, 36 RBI)</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
MINNESOTA 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 0
TEXAS 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 13 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: MIN - BOOF BONSER, MATT GUERRIER (6TH), JUAN RINCON (8TH), PAT
NESHEK (8TH), JOE NATHAN (9TH) AND CHRIS HEINTZ

TEX - ROBINSON TEJEDA, C.J. WILSON (4TH), WILLIE EYRE
(6TH), FRANK FRANCISCO (8TH), JOAQUIN BENOIT (9TH) AND CHRIS
STEWART, GERALD LAIRD (9TH)

HOME RUNS: MIN - JUSTIN MORNEAU (14) OFF ROBINSON TEJEDA IN THE 3RD, 0 ON

TEX - NONE</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
MINNESOTA 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 0
TEXAS 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 13 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: MIN - BOOF BONSER, MATT GUERRIER (6TH), JUAN RINCON (8TH), PAT
NESHEK (8TH), JOE NATHAN (9TH) AND CHRIS HEINTZ

TEX - ROBINSON TEJEDA, C.J. WILSON (4TH), WILLIE EYRE
(6TH), FRANK FRANCISCO (8TH), JOAQUIN BENOIT (9TH) AND CHRIS
STEWART, GERALD LAIRD (9TH)


WP - BOOF BONSER (3-1)
LP - ROBINSON TEJEDA (4-4)
SAVE - JOE NATHAN (9)

HOME RUNS: MIN - JUSTIN MORNEAU (14) OFF ROBINSON TEJEDA IN THE 3RD, 0 ON

TEX - NONE


TIME: 3:29 ATT: 24,370

PROBABLES: BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA (6-2, 4.06)
TEX - BRANDON MCCARTHY (4-4, 5.82)

PROBABLES: TOR - JESSE LITSCH (1-1, 3.55)
MIN - SCOTT BAKER (1-0, 2.16)</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">MINNESOTA (5) VS TEXAS (3) - FINAL

MINNESOTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
L Castillo 2b 5 1 3 1 0 0 2 .329
J Tyner dh 4 1 0 1 0 0 4 .253
M Cuddyer rf 3 0 0 0 2 2 4 .269
J Morneau 1b 5 1 1 1 0 1 5 .282
T Hunter cf 4 0 1 1 1 1 0 .315
J Kubel lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 .252
L Ford lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .214
L Rodriguez 3b 4 1 0 0 1 0 4 .194
C Heintz c 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .250
N Punto ss 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 .230

Totals 35 5 8 4 8 4 24

BATTING: HR - J Morneau (14, 3rd inning off R Tejeda 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - T
Hunter (40), L Castillo (7), J Morneau (33), J Tyner (10). 2-out RBI - T
Hunter. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Cuddyer 2, C Heintz 1, J
Morneau 1, L Rodriguez 2, J Kubel 2. Team LOB - 12.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Kubel (2, 2nd base off R Tejeda/C Stewart), N Punto (5,
2nd base off F Francisco/C Stewart).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (L Castillo-N Punto-J Morneau).


TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
K Lofton cf 5 2 3 0 0 0 1 .267
M Young ss 4 0 1 0 1 0 3 .240
M Teixeira dh 5 0 3 2 0 1 1 .307
V Diaz rf 5 0 1 0 0 1 4 .265
N Cruz lf 3 0 1 0 1 1 3 .211
I Kinsler 2b 4 0 0 0 1 2 4 .240
R Vazquez 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 3 .600
b-S Sosa ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .266
M Kata 1b 4 0 0 0 0 4 2 .220
C Stewart c 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .250
a-F Catalanotto ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .164
G Laird c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233

Totals 39 3 13 3 3 11 24

a-singled to left for C Stewart in the 8th; b-struck out swinging for R
Vazquez in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - K Lofton (6, B Bonser); M Teixeira (15, B Bonser); N Cruz (8, J
Nathan). RBI - M Teixeira 2 (29), F Catalanotto (10). 2-out RBI - F
Catalanotto. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Vazquez 2, S Sosa 1, M
Young 1, N Cruz 2. GIDP - V Diaz. Team LOB - 13.

BASERUNNING: SB - K Lofton (15, 2nd base off B Bonser/C Heintz).

FIELDING: E - C Stewart (2, throw). PB - C Stewart.


----------------------------------------------------
MINNESOTA - 111 200 000 -- 5
TEXAS - 101 000 010 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

MINNESOTA ip h r er bb so hr era
B Bonser (W, 3-1) 5 6 2 2 2 6 0 3.88
M Guerrier (H, 3) 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 1.93
J Rincon (H, 6) 2/3 3 1 1 0 2 0 3.18
P Neshek (H, 3) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.27
J Nathan (S, 9) 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 2.21

TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
R Tejeda (L, 4-4) 3 7 5 5 3 3 1 5.18
C Wilson 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 2.35
W Eyre 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.86
F Francisco 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.76
J Benoit 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.57

R Tejeda pitched to 2 batters in the 4th.

WP - C Wilson 2, J Rincon. IBB - T Hunter (by C Wilson). HBP - N Cruz (by B
Bonser); J Tyner (by F Francisco). Pitches-strikes: B Bonser 101-63; M Guerrier
29-18; J Rincon 24-16; P Neshek 4-2; J Nathan 20-11; R Tejeda 86-52; C Wilson
40-20; W Eyre 16-10; F Francisco 22-12; J Benoit 15-10. Ground balls-fly balls:
B Bonser 2-7; M Guerrier 2-2; J Rincon 0-0; P Neshek 0-1; J Nathan 2-0; R
Tejeda 2-4; C Wilson 5-1; W Eyre 5-1; F Francisco 0-2; J Benoit 2-1. Batters
faced: B Bonser 24; M Guerrier 8; J Rincon 5; P Neshek 1; J Nathan 5; R Tejeda
19; C Wilson 10; W Eyre 6; F Francisco 5; J Benoit 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Marvin Hudson. 1B--Jerry Layne. 2B--Ed Montague. 3B--Bill
Miller.

T--3:29. Att--24,370.
Weather: 81 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 14 mph, in from
center.</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
MINNESOTA 5
TEXAS 3 FINAL</div>

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MINNESOTA (5) AT TEXAS (3) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MINNESOTA 1ST: L Castillo singled to center. J Tyner fouled out to third.
M Cuddyer walked, L Castillo to second. J Morneau struck out swinging.
T Hunter singled to left, L Castillo scored, M Cuddyer to second. M Cuddyer
to third, T Hunter to second on passed ball by C Stewart. J Kubel flied out
to left. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: K Lofton doubled to deep center. M Young flied out to right,
K Lofton to third. M Teixeira doubled to center, K Lofton scored. V Diaz
grounded out to third. N Cruz struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
MINNESOTA 1, TEXAS 1.

MINNESOTA 2ND: L Rodriguez walked. C Heintz singled to center, L Rodriguez
to second. L Rodriguez safe at third on throwing error by catcher C Stewart.
N Punto flied out to center. L Castillo singled to right, L Rodriguez scored,
C Heintz to third. J Tyner grounded out to pitcher, L Castillo to second.
M Cuddyer struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 Error) MINNESOTA 2, TEXAS 1.

MINNESOTA 3RD: J Morneau homered to right. T Hunter struck out swinging.
J Kubel singled to center. J Kubel stole second. L Rodriguez grounded out to
first, J Kubel to third. C Heintz popped out to shortstop. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) MINNESOTA 3, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 3RD: K Lofton singled to center. K Lofton stole second. M Young
walked. M Teixeira singled to right, K Lofton scored, M Young to second.
V Diaz flied out to center. N Cruz hit by pitch, M Young to third, M Teixeira
to second. I Kinsler struck out swinging. R Vazquez grounded out to first.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 3, TEXAS 2.

MINNESOTA 4TH: N Punto walked. L Castillo singled to center, N Punto to
third. C Wilson relieved R Tejeda. J Tyner grounded into fielder's choice to
second, N Punto scored, L Castillo out at second. M Cuddyer walked, J Tyner to
second. J Morneau grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, M Cuddyer out
at second, J Tyner to third. J Tyner scored, J Morneau to second on wild pitch
by C Wilson. T Hunter intentionally walked. J Morneau to third, T Hunter to
second on wild pitch by C Wilson. J Kubel walked. L Rodriguez grounded into
fielder's choice to shortstop, J Kubel out at second. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 8TH: J Rincon relieved M Guerrier. I Kinsler struck out swinging.
R Vazquez reached on infield single to pitcher. R Vazquez to second on wild
pitch by J Rincon. M Kata struck out swinging. F Catalanotto hit for
C Stewart. F Catalanotto singled to left, R Vazquez scored. K Lofton singled
to right, F Catalanotto to second. P Neshek relieved J Rincon. M Young lined
out to center. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3.</div>

 

Bonser, Twins take rubber game from Rangers

<h3>MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Boof Bonser wasn't as sharp as hehas been in the past, but he was effective enough to beat thestruggling Texas Rangers.

Bonser pitched five innings and the Minnesota Twins jumped allover Rangers starter Robinson Tejeda en route to a 5-3 victoryWednesday afternoon.

Luis Castillo had three hits and Torii Hunter drove in his 40thrun of the season for the Twins, who have won two series in arow after being swept by Cleveland last week.

Bonser (3-1), who has now won three starts in a row afterfailing to notch a win in any of his first seven starts, gave uptwo runs and six hits while striking out six. The 25-year-oldrighthander struggled with his command, throwing just 63 of his101 pitches for strikes while walking two.

Bonser was coming off his best outing of the season, when hetied a career high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings in an 8-1victory at Milwaukee.

The righthander had posted a 2-0 mark with a 2.10 ERA over hislast five outings coming into Wednesday's game against Texas,which is mired in last place in the AL West, 10 1/2 games behindAnaheim.

Three relivers bridged the gap to closer Joe Nathan, who earnedhis ninth save by striking out pinch hitter Sammy Sosa withrunners on first and second for the final out.

Justin Morneau, the reigning American League MVP, followed uphis two-homer performance from Tuesday's game with a solo blastoff Tejeda (4-4).

The Rangers' starter suffered through his shortest outing of theseason, lasting just three innings. Tejeda was charged withall five of Minnesota's runs and surrendered seven hits andthree walks.

The Twins got to Tejeda in the first, plating a run whenCastillo came around to score on Hunter's RBI single. It wasthe fastest Hunter has reached the 40-RBI mark in his career.

The Rangers got the run back in the home half, when agelessleadoff man Kenny Lofton led off with a double and came aroundto score two batters later on Mark Teixeira's double.

Minnesota jumped right back on top in the second frame, whenCastillo singled home a run, and added a third run in the nextframe on Morneau's solo blast leading off the inning.

Teixeira's second RBI of the game in the third brought Texasback within 3-2, but the Twins put it out of reach with a pairof runs in the fourth.

Tejeda walked the leadoff man, Nick Punto, and then yieldedanother single to Castillo before being replaced by lefthanderC.J. Wilson. The 26-year-old reliever got Jason Tyner to groundinto a fielder's choice, scoring Castillo from third.

After walking Michael Cuddyer and forcing Morneau to ground intoa fielder's choice, Wilson unleashed a wild pitch that scoredTyner from third to push the lead to 5-2.

The Rangers threatened in the seventh and the eighth against theTwins bullpen, plating a run in the eighth before sidewinderPat Neshek got Michael Young to fly out to center field with tworunners on to end the frame.

 

AL: MINNESOTA at TEXAS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MINNESOTA (5) AT TEXAS (3) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minnesota Starting Lineups -- L Castillo 2B, J Tyner DH, M Cuddyer RF,
J Morneau 1B, T Hunter CF, J Kubel LF, L Rodriguez 3B, C Heintz C, N Punto SS,
B Bonser RHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- K Lofton CF, M Young SS, M Teixeira DH, V Diaz RF,
N Cruz LF, I Kinsler 2B, R Vazquez 3B, M Kata 1B, C Stewart C, R Tejeda RHP.

Umpires -- Marvin Hudson (HP), Jerry Layne (1B), Ed Montague (2B), Bill Miller (3B).

Gametime Weather: 81 degrees, Cloudy, wind in from center at 14 mph.


MINNESOTA 1ST: L Castillo singled to center. J Tyner fouled out to third.
M Cuddyer walked, L Castillo to second. J Morneau struck out swinging.
T Hunter singled to left, L Castillo scored, M Cuddyer to second. M Cuddyer
to third, T Hunter to second on passed ball by C Stewart. J Kubel flied out
to left. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: K Lofton doubled to deep center. M Young flied out to right,
K Lofton to third. M Teixeira doubled to center, K Lofton scored. V Diaz
grounded out to third. N Cruz struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
MINNESOTA 1, TEXAS 1.

MINNESOTA 2ND: L Rodriguez walked. C Heintz singled to center, L Rodriguez
to second. L Rodriguez safe at third on throwing error by catcher C Stewart.
N Punto flied out to center. L Castillo singled to right, L Rodriguez scored,
C Heintz to third. J Tyner grounded out to pitcher, L Castillo to second.
M Cuddyer struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 Error) MINNESOTA 2, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 2ND: I Kinsler popped out to second. R Vazquez singled to right.
M Kata struck out looking. C Stewart struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) MINNESOTA 2, TEXAS 1.

MINNESOTA 3RD: J Morneau homered to right. T Hunter struck out swinging.
J Kubel singled to center. J Kubel stole second. L Rodriguez grounded out to
first, J Kubel to third. C Heintz popped out to shortstop. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) MINNESOTA 3, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 3RD: K Lofton singled to center. K Lofton stole second. M Young
walked. M Teixeira singled to right, K Lofton scored, M Young to second.
V Diaz flied out to center. N Cruz hit by pitch, M Young to third, M Teixeira
to second. I Kinsler struck out swinging. R Vazquez grounded out to first.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 3, TEXAS 2.

MINNESOTA 4TH: N Punto walked. L Castillo singled to center, N Punto to
third. C Wilson relieved R Tejeda. J Tyner grounded into fielder's choice to
second, N Punto scored, L Castillo out at second. M Cuddyer walked, J Tyner to
second. J Morneau grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, M Cuddyer out
at second, J Tyner to third. J Tyner scored, J Morneau to second on wild pitch
by C Wilson. T Hunter intentionally walked. J Morneau to third, T Hunter to
second on wild pitch by C Wilson. J Kubel walked. L Rodriguez grounded into
fielder's choice to shortstop, J Kubel out at second. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 4TH: M Kata struck out swinging. C Stewart singled to center.
K Lofton fouled out to right. M Young flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

MINNESOTA 5TH: C Heintz grounded out to shortstop. N Punto walked.
L Castillo lined out to right. J Tyner grounded out to second. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 5TH: M Teixeira flied out to center. V Diaz struck out swinging.
N Cruz walked. I Kinsler flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

MINNESOTA 6TH: W Eyre relieved C Wilson. M Cuddyer grounded out to third.
J Morneau grounded out to second. T Hunter grounded out to shortstop.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 6TH: M Guerrier relieved B Bonser. R Vazquez grounded out to pitcher.
M Kata struck out swinging. C Stewart flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

MINNESOTA 7TH: J Kubel grounded out to third. L Rodriguez flied out
to left. C Heintz grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 7TH: L Ford in left field. K Lofton popped out to second. M Young
singled to right. M Teixeira struck out swinging. V Diaz singled to center,
M Young to second. N Cruz grounded into fielder's choice to third, M Young
out at third. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

MINNESOTA 8TH: F Francisco relieved W Eyre. N Punto walked. N Punto stole
second. L Castillo lined out to second. J Tyner hit by pitch. M Cuddyer
struck out swinging. J Morneau flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 2.

TEXAS 8TH: J Rincon relieved M Guerrier. I Kinsler struck out swinging.
R Vazquez reached on infield single to pitcher. R Vazquez to second on wild
pitch by J Rincon. M Kata struck out swinging. F Catalanotto hit for
C Stewart. F Catalanotto singled to left, R Vazquez scored. K Lofton singled
to right, F Catalanotto to second. P Neshek relieved J Rincon. M Young lined
out to center. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3.

MINNESOTA 9TH: G Laird catching. J Benoit relieved F Francisco. T Hunter
grounded out to shortstop. L Ford singled to center. L Rodriguez lined out
to right. C Heintz grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, L Ford out
at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 9TH: J Nathan relieved P Neshek. M Teixeira singled to right. V Diaz
grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, M Teixeira out at
second. N Cruz doubled to deep center. I Kinsler walked. S Sosa hit for
R Vazquez. S Sosa struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MINNESOTA 5,
TEXAS 3.</div>

 

Bonser, Twins take rubber game from Rangers

<h3>MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Boof Bonser wasn't as sharp as hehas been in the past, but he was effective enough to beat thestruggling Texas Rangers.

Bonser pitched five innings and the Minnesota Twins jumped allover Rangers starter Robinson Tejeda en route to a 5-3 victoryWednesday afternoon.

Luis Castillo had three hits and Torii Hunter drove in his 40thrun of the season for the Twins, who have won two series in arow after being swept by Cleveland last week.

Bonser (3-1), who has now won three starts in a row afterfailing to notch a win in any of his first seven starts, gave uptwo runs and six hits while striking out six.

The 25-year-old righthander struggled with his command, throwingjust 63 of his 101 pitches for strikes while walking two.

"I didn't really have command of everything, but I kept my teamin the game and we pulled out another win," Bonser said.

Bonser was coming off his best outing of the season, when hetied a career high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings of an 8-1victory at Milwaukee.

"You guys were asking if I was stressing about the wins andlosses in April," Bonser said. "I told you they'd come. It's acrazy game."

The righthander had posted a 2-0 mark with a 2.10 ERA over hislast five outings entering Wednesday's game against Texas, whichis mired in last place in the American League West, 10 1/2games behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Three relievers bridged the gap to closer Joe Nathan, who earnedhis ninth save by striking out pinch hitter Sammy Sosa withrunners on first and second for the final out.

Justin Morneau, the reigning American League MVP, followed uphis two-homer performance from Tuesday's game with a solo blastoff Tejeda (4-4).

"The ball carries pretty well here. You don't have to muscle it... if you just square it up, it seems like it has a goodchance to go," Morneau said.

The Rangers' starter suffered through his shortest outing of theseason, lasting just three innings. Tejeda was charged withall five of Minnesota's runs and surrendered seven hits andthree walks.

The Twins got to Tejeda in the first, plating a run whenCastillo came around to score on Hunter's RBI single. It wasthe fastest Hunter has reached the 40-RBI mark in his career.

"I don't know what was going on today. I can't explain whathappened," Tejada said. "My fastball was OK but I lost a littlecontrol with the changeup."

The Rangers got the run back in the home half, when agelessleadoff man Kenny Lofton led off with a double and came aroundto score two batters later on Mark Teixeira's double.

Minnesota jumped right back on top in the second frame, whenCastillo singled home a run, and added a third run in the nextframe on Morneau's solo blast leading off the inning.

Teixeira's second RBI of the game in the third brought Texaswithin 3-2, but the Twins put it out of reach with a pair ofruns in the fourth.

"We had some opportunities today, but we didn't cash in,"Teixeira said. "They made some pitches. This is one of thebest pitching staffs in the majors."

Tejeda walked the leadoff man, Nick Punto, and yielded anothersingle to Castillo before being replaced by lefthander C.J.Wilson. The 26-year-old reliever got Jason Tyner to ground intoa fielder's choice, scoring Castillo from third.

After walking Michael Cuddyer and getting Morneau to ground intoa fielder's choice, Wilson unleashed a wild pitch that scoredTyner from third to push the lead to 5-2.

The Rangers threatened in the seventh and the eighth against theTwins' bullpen, plating a run in the eighth before sidewinderPat Neshek got Michael Young to fly out to center field with tworunners on to end the frame.