Mitch Moreland and Joey Gallo hit back-to-back, impressive home runs and the Texas Rangers won 11-7 on Saturday for Colby Lewis' first career victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Minnesota has lost five games in a row after starting the week as the AL Central leader. The Twins were without outfielder Torii Hunter, who dropped the appeal of his two-game suspension for an equipment-throwing rant and started serving the penalty.
The Rangers snapped a 3-all tie with a six-run fourth, including Moreland's three-run shot pulled an estimated 409 feet down the right-field line to chase Mike Pelfrey (5-3). Gallo greeted reliever J.R. Graham with a 461-foot drive into the upper deck in right.
The Twins were the only AL team Lewis (6-3) hadn't beaten as a Ranger. The 35-year-old in his 10th major league season had been 0-5 in 11 career appearances, seven of those starts. He retired the last 15 batters he faced, and didn't return after a one-hour, 19-minute rain delay in the seventh.
The Twins scored three times in the third on consecutive doubles. Minnesota finished with seven doubles, four of them during a four-run ninth.
Pelfrey allowed eight runs and 11 hits in 3 2-3 innings, pushing his season ERA from 2.28 to 3.18. He had allowed only three runs over 28 innings his previous four starts.
Shin-Soo Choo had three RBIs with his three hits for Texas. Delino DeShields had two doubles and scored three times.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Gallo's homer is the fourth-longest ever at the Rangers' home ballpark. Josh Hamilton hit a 490-footer in 2010, Jose Canseco a 480-footer in the ballpark's 1994 debut season and Moreland had a 463-foot shot three years ago.
It was the third homer for Gallo, the rookie third baseman's first since June 2-3 when he was the first Rangers player ever to homer in each of its first two career games.
Moreland had an RBI double in the third that tied the game at 3. He was also credited before the game with a two-run double after a scoring change from Friday night when his ball to center field that broke a 2-all tie had originally been ruled an error in the Rangers' 6-2 victory.
The Twins were up 3-1 after Eddie Rosario had a two-run double off the base of the left-field wall in the third, and Joe Mauer followed with an RBI double.
Texas got even in the third when DeShields tried to check his swing and instead wound up with a double into the right-field corner. He scored on a single by Choo, who came home on Moreland's double.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: Aaron Hicks was removed from the starting lineup after manager Paul Molitor said the center fielder "had some trouble with his right elbow" when hitting in the batting cage. Molitor said he couldn't swing the bat or throw.
Rangers: LHP Martin Perez (Tommy John surgery) has been pulled from his rehab assignment after tweaking his left groin in his first start Wednesday for Double-A Frisco. The Rangers called the move precautionary.
UP NEXT
Twins: Phil Hughes (4-5, 4.81) makes his Twins-high 13th start after losing his last two.
Rangers: Nick Martinez (5-2, 2.65) has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his 12 starts. By starting Sunday, the former college second baseman isn't in line to pitch in a two-game series at the Los Angeles Dodgers when pitchers get to hit. "How do you know I counted?" Martinez said Saturday, with a smile.
