In a perfect world, Kumar Rocker probably wouldn’t have been starting for the Rangers on Sunday afternoon. The Rangers entered the day with the best rotation in the American League and one of the best of that group,

Tyler Mahle was supposed to be the Twins' trade deadline prize in 2022, but injuries spoiled the deal. Now healthy and thriving in Texas, he returns to face the team that once bet big on his arm.

The Texas Rangers scored 16 runs while the Minnesota Twins scored four runs. Boy, Tyler Mahle was really off his game tonight. The Twins were practically playing wall ball with all the loud hits off the padding during the time that Mahle was on the mound.

Those bullpen games have been quite a relief for the Texas Rangers. With Nathan Eovaldi still on the injured list with right elbow inflammation and Tyler Mahle now dealing with shoulder stiffness, the Rangers twice in the past week have gone with bullpen games — using only relievers for the first two times this season,

The Twins enter this series 7.0 games back from the Detroit Tigers. They have gone .500 in their last 10 games, but hope to find a spark against the Rangers. The Rangers are just 11-22 away from home this season, and have lost seven of their last 10 games.