Offtopic/fun » was in the second wild card spot at 6-

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Max Kepler and the last-place Minnesota Twins are starting to have some fun.Theyre winning games, including three in a row against the American Leagues top team.Kepler drove in three runs with a homer and a short sacrifice fly, Tyler Duffey matched a career high with nine strikeouts and the Twins won 10-1 Thursday night in the opener of a four-game set at Texas after finishing their series at home last weekend with two straight over the Rangers.Its awesome. Its everything we ask for in a team, Kepler said. Everybodys picking each other up. No ones trying to do too much. Guys are getting on and keeping the line moving.The Twins (30-55) have won five of their last six overall.Minnesota led for good after Eduardo Nunez and Joe Mauer started the game with consecutive hits off Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-2) and both scored. Kurt Suzuki led off the second with his fifth homer, and it was 4-0 after Brian Dozier snapped an 0-for-13 slump with an RBI single later in the inning.That was a good win. It wasnt pretty early. We left men on base, but we were able to score a little bit, manager Paul Molitor said. Offensively, after four early, it didnt feel comfortable. I thought Maxs home run to extend that was good even though it was late. Then we were able to get the big inning.Keplers seventh homer of the season was a two-run shot that ignited a five-run eighth, putting the Twins up 9-0.Duffey (5-6) retired the last nine batters he faced. The right-hander limited Texas to two hits over six innings, but walked four and hit two batters.The Rangers didnt score until Rougned Odor had a one-out triple in the ninth, their first base runner since the fourth, and came home when Elvis Andrus singled.Keplers sac fly was a popup to shallow center field in the first caught by lunging shortstop Andrus. That sent Nunez home with the first run before Robbie Grossmans RBI single.Even with seven losses in nine games, the Rangers (53-34) still have the ALs best record and a 6 1/2-game lead over Houston in the AL West.For the first time in team history, Texas has gone six consecutive games without its starting pitcher finishing at least five innings.Gonzalez made it only 4 2/3 innings, throwing 124 pitches in the longest outing by a Rangers starter in that stretch that started when the young right-hander got only two outs at Minnesota last Saturday. He allowed nine hits and walked five.Bottom line, weve got to be better, we have to be better, manager Jeff Banister said. Weve been really good in some stretches, we talk about, it all starts with starting pitching. ... We cant continue to cover four or five innings in the bullpen every single night.STRANDED RUNNERSWhile Molitor wasnt sure if the Twins had scored 10 or 11 runs, he knew how many runners they left on base. I do know we left 15, he said. I always look at that.SHORT HOPSKepler has six homers in his last 17 games. ... Every Minnesota starter had a hit. The last Twin to get a hit was No. 9 batter Byron Buxton with an RBI single in the eighth. ... The Rangers failed to homer for the first time in 18 games. ... OF Jared Hoying pitched the ninth for Texas, giving up solo homer to pinch-hitter Kennys Vargas.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: Molitor said RHP Phil Hughes indicated in an e-mail Thursday that his surgery Wednesday went well. Hughes had a rib removed to help relieve thoracic outlet syndrome.Rangers: Yu Darvish threw a 32-pitch bullpen session. The Rangers will see how he feels Friday before determining if the right-hander will make his next rehab start Saturday or Sunday for Double-A Frisco. ... 1B Mitch Moreland was out of the starting lineup for the fifth consecutive day because of a mild strain in his right calf. He is expected to play Friday.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-5) goes for third consecutive victory. He has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts, including last Sunday at home to beat Texas.Rangers: All-Star LHP Cole Hamels (9-2, 2.93 ERA) makes his second consecutive start against the Twins, who had five runs and 10 hits off him in four innings Sunday at Minnesota -- his shortest start since being acquired by the Rangers last July. He still has a chance to become the first Texas pitcher in four seasons to get 10 wins by the All-Star break.Wil Lutz Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Wil Lutz Saints Jersey .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. http://www.authenticsaintssportsonline.com/saints-rickey-jackson-gold-jersey/ . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Drew Brees Youth Jersey . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Sheldon Rankins Saints Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace.TEMPE, Ariz. -- Green Bay and Carolina are leading contenders, but five weeks from the end of the season, no team is a bigger disappointment than the Arizona Cardinals.After going 13-3 last season, they were a trendy pick to win it all, a team whose players and coach said that nothing but a Super Bowl would make the season a success.And here they are at 4-6-1.A day after the Cardinals were beaten 38-19 in Atlanta, coach Bruce Arians took aim at his players.He spoke of selfishness instead of selflessness thats crept in.Without naming names, Arians criticized the teams leaders.Right now we are not making the critical plays to win he said, and its got to be corrected soon.He pointed to four or five plays every game that determined the outcome.So why are the players not doing their job 12 weeks into the season?Im very surprised, Arians said. Weve been talking about it for four weeks and the veterans obviously havent done anything about it, so maybe the young guys will step up and make the opportunity they need.He singled out defensive lineman Corey Peters for his outstanding performance against the Falcons.That was the example I used to the rest of them, Arians said. If you just do your job, youll be on the stat sheet.Peters appreciated Arians compliment but brushed it aside.None of that really matters, he said. We didnt get the job done as a whole. Thats my only goal. Thats the only thing I really care about. Weve just got to get back to the drawing board and try to get it fixed.Then there was a matter of his teams lack of ferocity.Why we werent as physical as I thought we would be is a question, Arians said.He used the teams goal-line defense as an example.You just dont allow people to run the ball, Arians said. You let them throw it in, but you dont allow them to run it in, and they ran it in twice.Peters agreed with Arians assessment.I think they ran for 120-something yards (actually 1116).dddddddddddd Thats always a good way to kind of judge the physicality of a game, he said. We just watched the tape and we definitely failed in some areas. But its not anything thats not correctable. Were running out of opportunities to get things fixed around here so I think everybody is going to be really locked in and focused this week.After losses on the road to Minnesota and Atlanta, the Cardinals are home against Washington on Sunday.Arians and Peters still held out some hope for a playoff spot, a thought that seems ludicrous given recent performances but is mathematically possible due to the jumbled battle for the NFCs second wild card spot.Definitely the season has been disappointing this far, Peters said. but were still hopeful. Were kind of moving on and kind of taking the mindset of `the next game attitude.Arians said you take them one at a time.I think once we win one well be fine, he said. I think well add them up at nine (wins) and I think we still have a great shot because were going to be playing some of those teams that are going to be in the same spot were in. We just have to win one.As of Monday, Washington was in the second wild card spot at 6-4-1. Minnesota (6-5), Tampa Bay (6-5), Philadelphia (5-5 and playing 4-6 Green Bay on Monday night) and New Orleans (5-6) were all ahead of Arizona.And theres no evidence that these Cardinals are poised for any big run.Game notesArians said that, due to injuries, he would go with the same young, inexperienced offensive line that had so much trouble against Atlanta. ... Arians said cornerback Patrick Petersons sore knee did not have any structural damage so well see how it goes. .... Arizona released cornerback Christian Bryant.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '