Yes, it took the Twins bearing gifts to get that W that had eluded this team for more than a week. But the Rangers have giving away win themselves, so getting one they didn’t really earn is fair.

What do you give a team that cannot figure out how to get a hit with runners in scoring position? Walks and hit batters. If they can’t do it themselves, you do it for them. That was the Twins philosophy.

All the Rangers could muster for the first eight innings were two solo homers, one by Mitch Garver in the second and one by Adolis Garcia in the sixth. 

By the time it got to the ninth, the Rangers and Twins were tied 2-2. 

Garcia led off the top of the ninth with a single. Garver singled to put runners on first and second. With a runner on second, the Rangers had strategically placed themselves into an unscoreable situation.

Travis Jankowski did what the Rangers so often do with a runner in scoring position. He struck out. Then, the Minnesota Philanthropy Society arrived. Ezequiel Duran was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Robbie Grossman walked to drive in the third run. Loedy Taveras walked to drive in their fourth run. Marcus Semien was hit by a pitch to drive in the Rangers fifth run. And Corey Seager hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the Rangers sixth run.

Four runs scored off zero hits.

A run is a run, a win is a win, and a gift is a gift, and the Rangers, after having lost eight in a row, will take it. But for this team to be a contender, the offense has to come back. They cannot rely on the opposing team to cough up four runs in the ninth like that. 

The Rangers’ opponents can certainly expect that, the Ranger’s can’t.

*****