Larnach, Lee, Kreidler Go Deep as Twins Batter Texas 9-3
Minnesota hit three home runs and hung six earned runs on Jack Leiter in four innings, turning what looked like a competitive Thursday night game into a rout. The Twins walked away from Texas with a 9-3 final, powered by a lineup that refused to let a single bat go cold.
The story of the night was Jack Leiter's implosion. The Texas starter lasted just 4.0 innings, surrendering 7 hits, 6 earned runs, and 2 walks against 4 strikeouts. That's a line that poisons a bullpen and deflates a dugout simultaneously, and it appears to have done exactly that — Minnesota's offense never had to grind. Trevor Larnach led the charge, going 3-for-5 with a home run, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. When your three-hole or four-hole bat produces that kind of night, the margin takes care of itself.
On the other side of the pitching ledger, Joe Ryan was quietly excellent. He went 5.0 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 0 earned runs while striking out 7 and walking 2. That's a vintage Ryan outing — missing bats, keeping the ball in the yard, and handing a lead to the bullpen with the game already decided. Eric Orze followed with a clean 1.0 inning of his own: 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 strikeout. Minnesota's pitching staff, top to bottom, looks like it came to work tonight.
Texas did show some life offensively — Wyatt Langford, Justin Foscue, and Ezequiel Duran each went deep, giving the Rangers three solo home runs on the night. Langford went 2-for-4 with his shot, Foscue went 1-for-1, and Duran went 1-for-3. Three home runs from three different players sounds impressive until you realize the team still scored just 3 runs, which tells you everything about how isolated those moments were. With the trade deadline now less than seven weeks away, Texas's inability to get production beyond the long ball appears to be a real concern — one that could shape how aggressive the front office gets this summer. Minnesota, meanwhile, looks like a team that can manufacture runs in bunches when the lineup clicks. Three different Twins went deep — Larnach, Brooks Lee (1-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI), and Ryan Kreidler (1-for-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI) — and the damage was spread across the order. That kind of depth is hard to plan against.