ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — Zebby Matthews allowed his only run on a leadoff homer while pitching seven innings for the Minnesota Twins in a 4-1 win Tuesday night over the Texas Rangers, who lost their eighth game in a row and were eliminated from the playoff chase.

The Rangers were within two games of the AL West lead on Sept. 13 and in the thick of the wild-card chase after a 13-3 span with a pair of six-game winning streaks. They haven’t won since and dropped to 5 1/2 games behind Houston for the American League’s final playoff spot with five games left.

Joc Pederson’s ninth homer gave Texas the quick lead. Matthews allowed only three singles after that and struck out six without a walk while matching the longest of his 25 career starts.

The loss mathematically ended Texas’ season, a stark contrast to their position just 10 days prior. The Rangers fell to 79-78, while the Twins improved to 68-89.

Matthews was dominant after the first-inning mistake to Pederson. He efficiently worked through the Texas lineup, facing no significant threats after the third inning. He improved his record to 5-6.

Patrick Corbin took the loss for Texas, falling to 7-11. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two. The Twins scored both of their runs against him in the third inning.

Minnesota broke through in the third. Kody Clemens led off with a double and advanced to third on a single by Christian Vázquez. Byron Buxton then grounded into a forceout, but Clemens scored to tie the game. After an Austin Martin single put runners on the corners, Ryan Jeffers delivered a line-drive single to right field to score Buxton and give the Twins a 2-1 lead.

The Twins added two crucial insurance runs in the sixth inning against the Rangers’ bullpen. With Danny Coulombe on the mound, Carson McCusker walked and Brooks Lee singled. Clemens then blooped a single to left field, scoring McCusker. After a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Martin grounded into another forceout, allowing Lee to cross the plate, extending the lead to 4-1.

The Texas offense, which had been so potent during its recent winning stretch, was silenced after the first pitch. Following Pederson’s homer, Matthews and the Twins’ bullpen combined to allow just three more singles. Cole Winn provided a bright spot for Texas with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit.

The Minnesota bullpen sealed the victory with two perfect innings. Kody Funderburk struck out two in the eighth, and Cole Sands worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record his third save of the season.

The result was an upset according to pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Texas 4, Minnesota 3. The ELO system gave Texas a 63.10 percent probability to win, and the Rangers had been installed as a -1.5 run favorite. The total score of five runs went well under the over/under line of 8.5.

The game was played in a brisk 3 hours and 2 minutes before an announced crowd of 24,674 at Globe Life Park.

The two teams will continue their three-game series Wednesday night. The Twins will look to build on the victory before heading to Philadelphia for a weekend series to close the season. The Rangers, now playing for pride, will finish their homestand against the Twins before traveling to Cleveland for their final three games.