Wilkommen bei den Schatten » chkins father Mikhail is in stable co

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Max Kepler and the Minnesota Twins are going into the All-Star break playing their best baseball.Kepler hit the first grand slam by the Twins this season, one of their four homers in a 15-5 win Sunday at the AL-leading Texas Rangers. While still in last place in the AL, Minnesota has won seven of its last nine games.We always talk about trusting the process, but when you get good results and win games, you understand how enjoyable it is to go out there and compete and come out and win games, manager Paul Molitor said. Id like to think that these guys are hungry to win as many games going forward. Thats kind of an understatement. It should be the mindset all the time.Minnesota (32-56) won three of four at Texas after taking the last two games of its home series against the Rangers the previous weekend.Keplers slam with two outs in the fifth off A.J. Griffin (3-1) put the Twins up 6-0. It was the first career grand slam for Kepler, and seventh homer in his last 20 games.Were just having fun. Everybodys laughing before the game, enjoying themselves as much as they can. Picking each other up, Kepler said. When you have fun like that, you forget about the bad at-bats and all the negative swings you take or whatever it is.Kennys Vargas hit a towering shot to center in the fourth for the games first run. Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier added back-to-back homers in a seven-run seventh for the Twins.Minnesota has hit 29 homers the last 15 games, and the Twins 140 runs since June 18 are the most in the majors.Tommy Milone (2-2) struck out three and walked three. The left-hander was out of the game after walking Adrian Beltre to start the sixth, and Ryan Rua promptly grounded into a double play against reliever Taylor Rogers.Texas (54-36) still has the ALs best record but has lost nine of 12. Its AL West lead has dwindled from 10 games to 5 1/2 over Houston, still the largest ever for the Rangers at the break, but their smallest since June 14.There are points in the season where they dont look so well, dont feel so well. Today capped all that off. Hopefully, thats the bottom, Texas manager Jeff Banister said. Theres some times when youre not playing well, you kind of hope for a rainout. We get a four-day rainout.Minnesota matched its season high with 18 hits after also having 18 in the series opener Thursday night. Robbie Grossman, Eddie Rosario and Kurt Suzuki, the Nos. 6-8 batters, each had three hits, and No. 9 batter Escobar had two hits.Its great to score 15 runs. Its a good way to end the half, Grossman said. Weve been playing some good baseball. Well recharge in the next couple of days and get back after it.OFF THE BASE -- BARELYRosario, coming off a four-hit game for the Twins on Saturday night, clearly slid into second base ahead of the tag in his first at-bat in the second inning Sunday. Banister asked for a replay review, which showed Rosarios foot just briefly lost contact with the bag while 2B Rougned Odor was still applying a tag. The safe call was overturned for the second out, and Suzuki then had what was an inning-ending flyball instead of a likely sac fly to leave Grossman stranded at third base.SHORT HOPSVargas had his third homer in six games since being called up July 4. ... Odor had two errors in the eighth.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: CF Byron Buxton missed his second game because of a bruised right knee sustained in the first inning Friday night when he crashed into the wall. Buxton was available, but Molitor wanted to give Buxton more time to get him back feeling good instead of playing just one more game before the All-Star break.Rangers: RHP Keone Kela (right elbow) was scheduled to pitch in relief at Double-A Frisco for the second consecutive game Sunday night. If all goes well, he could rejoin the Rangers after the All-Star break.UP NEXTTwins: Minnesota opens a three-game series Friday at home against AL Central-leading Cleveland.Rangers: After the All-Star break, the Rangers open a 10-day, nine-game road trip Friday with an interleague series at the Chicago Cubs. Wholesale New Balance Shoes . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Cheap New Balance Canada . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. http://www.wholesalenewbalancecanada.com/ . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Wholesale New Balance Canada . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Cheap New Balance Shoes . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland.When new Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins starts training camp in the fall, prospect Teemu Hartikainen may not be on the ice. According to Craig Custance of ESPN The Magazine, Hartikainen is headed to Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League. Hartikaainen, who is slated to become a restricted free agent next month, had one goal and two assists for three points in 23 games with the Oilers this season.dddddddddddd. He was drafted by the Oilers in the sixth round (163rd overall) in 2008. ' ' '