Billy McKinney drove in the go-ahead run hours after his return to the major leagues, helping the Texas Rangers earn a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers (80-78) snapped an eight-game losing skid while ending a modest two-game winning streak the Twins (68-90). Neither team is in contention for the postseason.
Texas’ Robert Garcia (4-7), who relieved starter Jacob deGrom to start the sixth inning with the score tied, allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. Phil Maton, the Rangers’ fourth pitcher of the game, worked a perfect ninth to garner his fifth save.
Minnesota’s Byron Buxton led off the game with a solo home run to dead center field. deGrom then retired 12 of the next 13 Minnesota batters, eight of them by strikeout.
Josh Smith tied the game with a solo homer off Twins starter Taj Bradley to begin the fourth inning.
The Rangers surged to the lead in the seventh.
Travis Adams (1-4) replaced Bradley and allowed a one-out single to Ezequiel Duran, who then stole second base. McKinney, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Round Rock earlier Wednesday, drove home Duran with a single and advanced to second on the throw from the outfield to the plate.
McKinney went to third on a single by Jonah Heim and raced home on a wild pitch by Adams. Later in the inning, another wild pitch — this one by Genesis Cabrera — allowed Heim to score and expand the Rangers’ lead to 4-1.
Minnesota culled its deficit in the eighth when Edouard Julien doubled off Texas reliever Shawn Armstrong and scored on Royce Lewis’ ensuing single.
deGrom made his 30th and final start of the season, his most since 2019. The two-time Cy Young Award winner went five innings and allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out eight.
Bradley fired six innings of one-run ball. He yielded two hits and two walks while fanning nine.
