The Minnesota Twins defeated the Texas Rangers on Saturday afternoon to take control of the series 2-0.

The Twins took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning. They extended that lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth.

A pitching change after five for Minnesota proved costly, allowing the Rangers to score in the sixth and seventh innings. Now only leading 5-4, the Twins ran in two more in the eighth to seal the 7-4 win.

Jason Castro tallied three RBIs on two hits, and Byron Buxton finished with two RBIs on one hit. Miguel Sano and Jonathan Schoop each had two runs for the Twins.

Michael Pineda threw nine strikeouts and five hits in five innings. Taylor Rogers was a strong closer for Minnesota, throwing five strikeouts and no hits in just over two innings of work.

The Twins improve to 56-32 and will face the Rangers on Sunday in the third and final game of the series. Pre-game starts at 12:30 p.m. on AM 1240 WJON.

More From 1390 Granite City Sports