ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — The Minnesota Twins rode a three-run homer from Josh Bell in the first inning and a solo shot from Byron Buxton in the sixth to defeat the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Monday night at Globe Life Park.

Attendance was 25,957, and the game lasted 2 hours, 13 minutes.

Minnesota improved to 34-40 with the victory, while Texas dropped to 35-37.

Taylor Rogers earned the win for the Twins, his third against three losses. Rogers worked five innings and allowed two runs on three hits, striking out five and walking none. Yoendrys Gómez pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his seventh save.

MacKenzie Gore took the loss for Texas, his sixth against four wins. Gore gave up four runs on four hits and two walks over six innings, striking out nine.

The Twins grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Austin Martin led off with a double to left field. Byron Buxton struck out, and Kody Clemens popped out to catcher Elias Díaz in foul territory. Royce Lewis walked. Bell then crushed an 0-1 pitch from Gore over the left-field wall for his eighth home run, scoring Martin and Lewis. Kyler Fedko struck out to end the inning.

Texas answered in the bottom of the third. Nicky Lopez grounded out to first, but Díaz singled sharply to right. Joc Pederson followed with his ninth homer of the season, a fly ball to right that scored Díaz and cut the Twins’ lead to 3-2. Josh Jung grounded out to short, and Wyatt Langford grounded out to short to end the inning.

Minnesota extended its lead in the sixth. Buxton led off with his 23rd home run, a solo shot to left-center field that made it 4-2. Clemens grounded out to first, Lewis struck out, Bell singled to center, and Fedko flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rangers had a chance in the eighth. Nicky Lopez grounded out to second, Josh Smith popped out to catcher Alex Jackson in foul territory, and Pederson singled to center. But Jung flied out to center to end the threat.

Texas went quietly in the ninth against Gómez. Langford grounded out to the pitcher, Brandon Nimmo grounded out to short, and Jake Burger struck out swinging.

The Twins managed only four hits in the game, but two of them left the yard. Bell finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Martin went 1-for-4 with a double and a run. Buxton was 1-for-4 with his home run. Lewis walked once and scored a run.

For Texas, Pederson was 2-for-3 with the home run and two RBIs. Díaz singled and scored. Burger singled in four at-bats. Lopez singled in three at-bats. Nimmo went 0-for-4. Langford was 0-for-4. Osuna was 0-for-3. Freeman was 0-for-3. Jung was 0-for-4. Smith was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter.

Both bullpens pitched well after the starting pitchers departed. Peyton Gray threw a scoreless seventh for Texas, allowing no hits and striking out one. Joe Ross also tossed a scoreless inning in the eighth, allowing no hits. For Minnesota, relievers combined for four scoreless innings.

The Twins struck first with the big inning. Martin’s double put a runner in scoring position, and after two quick outs, Bell delivered the decisive blow. The Twins added a run in the sixth on Buxton’s home run, which provided an insurance run that proved crucial.

Texas had its best chance in the third when Díaz singled and Pederson homered, but the Rangers could not sustain the rally. They had only one other hit the rest of the game, a Pederson single in the eighth.

The Rangers outhit the Twins 5-4 but stranded runners in scoring position in the third and eighth innings. The Twins defense turned a double play in the fourth when Alejandro Osuna grounded into a 4-6-3 twin killing.

Minnesota hosts Texas again on Tuesday in the second game of the series. The Twins then travel to Arizona for a three-game set before returning home to face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Texas hosts the Twins again on Thursday before a weekend series against the San Diego Padres at Globe Life Park. The Rangers then hit the road for a six-game trip through Miami and Toronto.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Texas Rangers 4, Minnesota Twins 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Texas a 60.40 percent probability to win. The Rangers were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 6 went over the over-under line of 8.