Rain froze the American League West race Saturday, delaying the start of the Texas Rangers‘ game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field with only two days left in the regular season.
The timing could not be worse for Texas, tied with Houston at 79-81 and needing to finish ahead of the Astros outright since Houston holds the tiebreaker. The Rangers must play and win both of their remaining games, weather notwithstanding, to have a chance of winning the American League West and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, though two Rangers wins and one Astros loss also gives Texas the division pennant.
“Saturday’s Rangers/Twins game in Minneapolis will have a delayed start due to rain in the area. A start time will be announced when it has been determined,” the team said in a statement posted to its official social media channels.
“We will be starting today’s game in an @uponor rain delay. We will provide updates as they become available,” the Twins posted on social media at 2:47 p.m. CT. The originally scheduled start time was 3:10 p.m. CT. But that start time came and went with no update on when the game would actually get underway.
Weather.com radar showed the storm system clearing the Target Field area by about 2:55 CT, so if that outlook is accurate, the delay should be a brief one.
“This was as forecast, and I still fully expect they play ball,” predicted sports meteorologist Kevin Roth, on his own social media account.
Rain was falling at Target Field well before first pitch. The National Weather Service called for showers through the afternoon, with a high near 62 degrees, a southeast wind around 10 mph and a 90 percent chance of precipitation. Showers were expected to taper toward a 40 percent chance overnight, with Sunday trending drier and warmer, reaching a high near 68.
RotoWire‘s weather desk pegged the Twin Cities at a 79 percent chance of rain for the original 4:10 p.m. ET (3:10 p.m. CDT) window, calling an extended delay likely while stopping short of forecasting a postponement.
| TEXAS RANGERS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Nathan Eovaldi (RHP) • 11-10, 4.27 ERA | ||||
| September 26, 2026 • Target Field, Minneapolis, MN • 4:10 PM ET • Rangers at Twins | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Brandon Nimmo | RF | .260 | .406 |
| 2 | Wyatt Langford | LF | .239 | .425 |
| 3 | Corey Seager | SS | .227 | .421 |
| 4 | Jake Burger | 1B | .230 | .420 |
| 5 | Ezequiel Duran | 3B | .259 | .421 |
| 6 | Nicky Lopez | 2B | .266 | .305 |
| 7 | Danny Jansen | C | .195 | .347 |
| 8 | Evan Carter | CF | .192 | .311 |
| 9 | Alejandro Osuna | DH | .256 | .296 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats shown (AVG / SLG). Umpire: David Rackley • Weather: 59°, Wind 12 mph • O/U: 8 Runs • Line: TEX -125 / MIN +104. | ||||
Texas Rangers, Houston Astros Fight to the Finish
Every American League West club will finish the season with a losing record, a first in major league history for a division winner, according to MLB.com.
Houston dropped a 6-5 decision to the Athletics on Friday after a sixth-inning collapse, after Texas had already fallen to Minnesota, 10-2, earlier in the day. That kept the Astros and Rangers deadlocked at 79-81, as MLB.com‘s Brian McTaggart reported.
Houston can clinch outright with a win over the Athletics Saturday night paired with a Rangers loss. Texas controls nothing on its own. Win out, and the Astros still take the division if they win, too.
The Minnesota Twins, at 76-84, were eliminated from playoff contention days ago, according to the same outlet, and enter Saturday with nothing to play for but a spoiler role. All six American League playoff berths are filled, meaning the AL West loser goes home entirely.
| MINNESOTA TWINS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Bailey Ober (RHP) • 7-6, 4.21 ERA | ||||
| September 26, 2026 • Target Field, Minneapolis, MN • 4:10 PM ET • Rangers at Twins | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Luke Keaschall | RF | .281 | .402 |
| 2 | Brooks Lee | 3B | .253 | .429 |
| 3 | Kody Clemens | 2B | .239 | .463 |
| 4 | Josh Bell | DH | .254 | .415 |
| 5 | Walker Jenkins | CF | .224 | .408 |
| 6 | Alan Roden | LF | .286 | .377 |
| 7 | Royce Lewis | 1B | .226 | .376 |
| 8 | Victor Caratini | C | .220 | .313 |
| 9 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | .275 | .404 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats shown (AVG / SLG). Umpire: David Rackley • Weather: 59°, Wind 12 mph • O/U: 8 Runs • Line: TEX -125 / MIN +104. | ||||
Rain Delay for Eovaldi’s Final Start
Nathan Eovaldi (11-10, 4.27 ERA) was tabbed to face Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (7-6, 4.21 ERA) in what amounts to his final regular-season turn, according to SI.com. A soggy afternoon threatens to shrink his outing just when Texas needs length from its rotation.
Texas is already thin. Third baseman Josh Jung fractured his right hand after getting hit by a pitch Friday, pushing Ezequiel Duran to third and Nicky Lopez to second base. Jacob deGrom’s Friday start went sideways fast, allowing eight earned runs in the loss.
A division winner finishing no better than 81-81 would top the previous record for futility, the 82-80 Padres of 2005, managed by former Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy.
A postponement, unlike a delay, pushes an unplayed or incomplete game to another date, and with the regular season closing Sunday and no off-days built in, that would force a doubleheader and scramble bullpen plans for both clubs. For now, it remains a delay. Whether Eovaldi ever gets loose is the only question that matters in Minneapolis.
Why is the Rangers-Twins Game Delayed Today? When Will it Start?