Jacob deGrom's Worst Night Came at the Worst Time for Texas

Jacob deGrom has given up eight earned runs in a start four times in his career. The fourth came Friday in Minneapolis, with the AL West on the line.

Texas handed him a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Corey Seager's RBI single and a Wyatt Langford groundout. The Twins took it right back with six runs in the second. Royce Lewis tied it with a two-run single, and Ryan Kreidler's safety squeeze turned into a go-ahead hit when nobody covered first. Luke Keaschall had four hits and three RBIs, and Kody Clemens hit his team-high 27th homer. DeGrom lasted four innings: eight hits, three walks, eight runs. Minnesota won 10-2.

It got worse. Josh Jung was hit by a pitch in the first inning and broke a bone in his right hand. He stayed in long enough to score, then came out in the third.

Update: still alive

The loss left Texas tied with Houston at 79-81, with the Astros holding the tiebreaker, and the Astros lost too, 6-5 to the Athletics. On Saturday the Rangers responded with a 6-2 win over the Twins, Jung went on the injured list, and the division race moved to the final day of the season, with both teams at 80-81. Whoever wins it will be the first division champion without a winning record in a full season.