ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — A pitchers’ duel defined by dominant starting performances gave way to a decisive seventh-inning rally as the Texas Rangers edged the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field.

In a game that saw both teams manage just five hits apiece, a three-run outburst by Texas in the bottom of the seventh inning proved to be the difference, snapping a 1-1 tie and securing a series split heading into the finale.

The contest began with a jolt of power from the Twins’ Byron Buxton. On the first pitch he saw from Rangers ace Jacob deGrom in the top of the first inning, Buxton launched a solo home run to center field, his 32nd of the season, giving Minnesota an immediate 1-0 lead. The early advantage, however, would be the highlight of the night for the Twins’ offense for much of the game, as deGrom quickly found his rhythm.

After the Buxton homer, deGrom was virtually untouchable. The veteran right-hander finished his five-inning outing having allowed just that one run on two hits, striking out eight Twins batters. He was matched pitch-for-pitch by Minnesota’s Taj Bradley, who was equally brilliant. Bradley worked six strong innings, surrendering only one run on two hits while racking up a season-high nine strikeouts.

The only blemish on Bradley’s line came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Texas shortstop Josh Smith connected for a solo home run of his own, a fly ball to right-center field that was his 10th of the year, tying the game at 1-1.

The game remained deadlocked into the seventh inning, a testament to the starting pitching and a pair of key defensive plays. In the top of the fifth, Minnesota’s Edouard Julien singled but was later thrown out attempting to steal second base by Rangers catcher Jonah Heim. In the top of the seventh, after Trevor Larnach led off with a single for Minnesota, Ryan Jeffers grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, snuffing out a potential scoring opportunity.

The momentum shifted decisively in the bottom of the frame. Facing Twins reliever Travis Adams, Ezequiel Duran led off with a sharp line-drive single to right field. Billy McKinney followed with a single to left field that scored Duran from second, giving Texas its first lead of the night at 2-1. McKinney advanced to second on the throw home.

Adams was replaced by Génesis Cabrera, but the Rangers’ rally continued. Heim greeted Cabrera with another single to left field, moving McKinney to third base. Michael Helman then grounded out to third base, but McKinney scored on the play, extending the lead to 3-1. After an intentional walk to Adolis García and a walk to Josh Smith that loaded the bases, Josh Jung hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Heim to make it 4-1.

Minnesota clawed one run back in the top of the eighth against Rangers reliever Shawn Armstrong. Julien sparked the effort with a double to center field and later scored on a single by Royce Lewis, cutting the deficit to 4-2. The Twins threatened to do more damage, but Armstrong limited the inning to just the one run.

In the ninth, Texas turned to Phil Maton to close out the game. Maton was perfect, retiring the Twins in order, including a strikeout of Trevor Larnach, to seal the victory and earn his fifth save of the season.

Robert Garcia, who pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Texas, was credited with the win, improving his record to 4-7. Travis Adams took the loss for Minnesota, falling to 1-4 after allowing three runs in the fateful seventh inning.

The game-time temperature was 78 degrees, and the contest was played in a brisk 2 hours and 14 minutes before an announced crowd of 24,622.

With the result, the Rangers improved their season record to 80-78, while the Twins fell to 68-90. The outcome aligned with the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a 4-3 Texas victory and gave the Rangers a 63.1 percent probability to win. The total of six runs combined fell under the betting over/under line of 7.5.

The two teams will conclude their three-game series on Thursday afternoon. Following the finale, the Twins will travel to Philadelphia for a three-game weekend set with the Phillies, while the Rangers will head to Cleveland for a three-game series against the Guardians.