Texas @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( May 26, 2014 ) Texas 7, Minnesota 2

Both teams will be challenged offensively when the Texas Rangers visit the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in the second of a four-game series. Minnesota's Phil Hughes is an eye-popping 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in his last six starts while striking out 30 and walking one in 39 1/3 innings and opposes Yu Darvish, who is capable of throwing a no-hitter every time he takes the ball. Darvish came within one out of doing so three starts back against Boston and is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in his last four turns.

Texas improved to 4-1 on its 11-game road trip with a 7-2 victory Monday when all six of its RBIs came with two outs. Elvis Andrus delivered two of them with a tiebreaking double and is 7-for-16 in his last three games while Alex Rios has recorded six straight multi-hit contests and is 13-for-27 with five RBIs and seven runs during that span. The Twins have lost four in a row and are not getting it done in the clutch as they are 3-for-27 with runners in scoring position in their last six games.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), FSN North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Yu Darvish (4-2, 2.35 ERA) vs. Twins RH Phil Hughes (5-1, 3.15)

Darvish allowed two runs and six hits while striking out six in seven innings of a 9-2 victory at Detroit on Thursday. The 27-year-old Japan native struck out 38 in 30 innings over his last four starts. Darvish, who has defeated every American League team except Minnesota and Cleveland, fanned 11 and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his last start against the Twins on Aug. 30, 2013 before allowing three runs in a 3-2 loss, and is 0-1, 2.92 in two outings against Minnesota.

Hughes struck out seven and scattered seven hits in seven innings of a 2-0 victory at San Diego on Wednesday. ''Right now he is in that mode where he just trusts his stuff,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters about the 27-year-old Mission Viejo, Calif., native. ''He's relaxed a little bit now and he just feels it coming out of his hand.'' Hughes is 2-2 with a 1.71 ERA in six games (five starts) against Texas and has struggled with Rios (11-for-24, homer, three doubles, five RBIs).

WALK-OFFS

1. Twins CF Aaron Hicks (.198) informed Gardenhire on Monday he will no longer bat left-handed as he is hitting .145 from that side compared to .286 right-handed. "He came to me this morning and said he wants to hit right-handed,'' Gardenhire told reporters. "So, obviously, when a guy has no confidence left-handed, you gotta do what you gotta do.''

2. Texas' Ron Washington managed his 1,186th game Monday, tying him with Bobby Valentine for the most in Washington/Texas franchise history. Washington has won a franchise-record 637 games.

3. Minnesota LF Josh Willingham (hand) and RF Oswaldo Arcia (wrist) returned to the lineup Monday after being out since April 7 and 9, respectively, and were a combined 1-for-7. Minnesota made room on the roster by sending OF Chris Colabello and C-OF Chris Herrmann to Triple-A Rochester.

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Twins 2