Rangers Fall to Twins in Series Opener

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

June 15, 2026

Twins 4, Rangers 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (June 15) — The Texas Rangers were greeted to a rude welcome home from their recent six-game road trip Monday with a 4–2 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Josh Bell provided most of their offense with a three-run shot in the first inning. The Rangers will aim to even the series at one game apiece Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Right-handers Zebby Matthews (2–4, 5.20 ERA) and Kumar Rocker (2–5, 3.56 ERA) will go head-to-head in that matchup.

Twins Strike First

The Twins got off to a quick start in the top of the first with lefty MacKenzie Gore on the mound. Austin Martin led off with a double to left. After Byron Buxton struck out swinging and Kody Clemens popped out to Rangers catcher Elias Diaz, respectively, Royce Lewis drew a walk. That brought up Bell, who blasted a 1–1 pitch to left for his eighth homer of the year.

The Rangers closed the lead to one in the bottom of the third against right-hander Mike Paredes. Diaz hit a sharp one-out single to right. On deck was Joc Pederson, who hit a two-run shot to right on the first pitch of the at-bat. It was his ninth of the season.

The Twins added an insurance run in the top of the sixth. It came courtesy of a leadoff homer to left-center by Byron Buxton on a 1–0 pitch,. It marked his 23rd dinger of the campaign.

What Went Right for the Twins

There wasn’t a lot of offense to speak of by either team, but the Twins tallied most of theirs in the first inning. Bell’s three-run home run gave them a modest lead, but that’s all that was necessary. It’s not always about how much you score. At times, it’s also about how much you can prevent. The Twins’ pitching staff kept the Rangers in check, giving up two runs in the process.

What Went Wrong for the Twins

Not much. The only time the Twins had their hands full came in the third stanza when Pederson hit his two-run bomb.

First Home Loss for Gore

Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore shouldered his first home defeat of the season. He now has a home record of 3–1 despite tallying a season-high 10 strikeouts, as a pair of Twins home runs proved to be the difference. His line was 7 IP, 4 H, 4 R-ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 2 HR, 102 pitches/70 strikes. Monday signaled his most strikeouts since August 10, 2025 against the San Francisco Giants as a member of the Washington Nationals. It was also his first career defeat when registering 10 or more strikeouts. Gore’s overall record for 2026 sits at 4–6 with an ERA of 4.27.

Career First for Paredes

Twins starter Mike Paredes turned in the longest outing of his major league career on Monday, tossing 4 2/3 innings while allowing two runs, both earned, on four hits, and no walks. He would have been in line for his first win had he recorded one more out with the Twins leading 3–2 upon his exit. Paredes allowed a baserunner in four of five frames he pitched but was only hurt by the two-run bomb by Pederson in the third. It is only the second homer he’s surrendered this year. The right-hander struck out two, his second fewest in a game this season.

The win went to left-hander Taylor Rogers, who struck out one in the only out he recorded to close the fifth inning. He improves to 3–3 on the year with an ERA of 5.27.

Righty Yoendrys Gomez notched his seventh save of the season after pitching an inning and a third, also striking out one.

Schumaker’s Postgame Comments

After the game, a baffled Skip Schumaker couldn’t put his finger on what happened offensively Monday. So he focused on Gore’s performance. “The line probably tells a different story than what he actually was out there,” he remarked. “I thought it was one of his best outings of the year. His fastball was explosive, and the changeup was excellent. There were a couple of curveballs that he probably wants back, and they hit them out. You had (Josh) Bell’s home run and a couple of other hits that didn’t help our cause. It was one of those weird nights, but we still have two games to make up for it.”