Rangers get strong finale from deGrom and top Twins 4-2 to stop 8-game skid

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Josh Smith homered, Billy McKinney drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Wednesday night to end a season-worst eight-game losing streak.

Ezequiel Duran had a one-out single off Travis Adams (1-4) in the seventh before stealing his 11th base. McKinney hit an RBI single to left field and went to second on the throw home. Jonah Heim singled to put runners at the corners and McKinney scored on a wild pitch for a 3-1 lead. Génesis Cabrera replaced Adams and threw a wild pitch that made it 4-1.

Byron Buxton hit his career-high 32nd home run on the second pitch from Jacob deGrom — a 447-foot shot to center field for a 1-0 Twins lead. It was the 18th time in his career that Buxton led off a game with a homer.

DeGrom allowed a single and a walk from there, striking out nine in five innings. He left his 30th start of the season after five innings and 74 pitches, finishing with a 12-8 record and a 2.97 ERA.

Robert Garcia (4-7) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Shawn Armstrong allowed Royce Lewis' RBI single in the eighth before Phil Maton pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save.

Smith hit his 10th home run — a leadoff shot against Taj Bradley in the fourth to tie it 1-all.

Bradley struck out nine and allowed one run on two hits and two walks in six innings.

Kody Clemens drew a leadoff walk in the fourth, stole his fifth base and moved to third on a wild pitch, but deGrom struck out Trevor Larnach and Ryan Jeffers before retiring Brooks Lee on a flyout to keep it 1-0.

The last time deGrom, 37, made 30 starts in a season was in 2019 with the Mets.

Twins RHP Bailey Ober (5-9, 5.32 ERA) starts Thursday's rubber game opposite Rangers RHP Tyler Mahle (6-3, 2.20).

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