Mike Minor apparently isn’t superstitious. Rolling along in June after a rough May http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/kahale-warring-jersey-authentic , Minor didn’t flinch when asked how he’s feeling about his new mustache.

”I think I might take it off,” the veteran left-hander said, adding that he’s getting tired of the new look.

Everything else is working pretty well at the moment.

Minor threw six solid innings, Shin-Soo Choo homered and the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Friday night for their sixth consecutive victory.

Minor’s sharp performance continued a string of solid outings by Texas starters, easing the blow of a roller-coaster news day for the team’s minor league pitchers.

Aside from a 13-12 win at Colorado, Texas’ pitching staff has held opponents in check during the streak; the Rangers have outscored their opponents 26-9 in the other five games.

”Our starting pitching has been quality for us in this stretch,” manager Jeff Banister said. ”We’ve played clean defense.”

Minor (5-4) has thrown three straight quality starts for the first time since throwing six straight in 2014 for Atlanta. He allowed one run and three hits, lowering his June ERA to 2.84. Banister called it one of Minor’s best starts this year.

”Yeah, just because they haven’t been very good this year,” Minor quipped when told of Banister’s comment.

Minor faced the minimum number of batters through five innings despite a first-inning single by Brian Dozier to deep left. Dozier tried to stretch for second, but Joey Gallo had a good jump and easily threw him out to end the inning. Minor retired his next 12 batters before Max Kepler doubled in the sixth.

”He was good, especially early Cullen Gillaspia Jersey ,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. ”He didn’t have to throw a lot of pitches, got some first-pitch outs leading off innings, which kind of hampers the next guy up.”

Texas opened the fourth with three straight singles off Fernando Romero (3-3), including a run-scoring hit up the middle by Adrian Beltre. Rougned Odor then drove in Nomar Mazara with a fielder’s choice.

Choo’s two-run shot off Romero made it 4-0 in the fifth.

Chris Martin got three outs before Jesse Chavez finished for his first save. Choo, Mazara and Beltre each drove in runs off Matt Belisle in the ninth.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

”I forgot to turn my invisible powers on hoping he wouldn’t see me, but he did,” Dozier said of getting thrown out at second after his single in the first.

MINOR SHAKEUPS

Texas had both good and bad pitching news in the minors on Friday. Joe Palumbo will continue his comeback from Tommy John surgery when he starts for the Arizona League Rangers on Sunday, and Martin Perez (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment for Class-A Hickory on Monday. On the other hand, prospect Alex Speas is set for Tommy John surgery, and Yohander Mendez – demoted to Triple-A this week for breaking unspecified team rules – was sent all the way down to Class A on Friday. The team said the move was not punitive.

WHAT A PLAY

Dozier made a diving grab at second to begin a flashy inning-ending double play in the seventh.

CHOO’S STREAK

It was Choo’s second homer on Texas’ six-game road trip, and Friday marked his 35th straight game reaching base – the longest such streak of his 16-year career.

”I know people always talk about it, the TV Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , my teammates,” Choo said. ”A lot of people talk about it, but I tell myself I just focus every at-bat.”

BATTERED TWINS

Minnesota lost by seven for the second straight night. The Twins finally broke through in the sixth when Joe Mauer’s one-out double scored Kepler, putting runners on second and third. But Minor retired Eddie Rosario and Dozier on popups, ending the threat.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: Martin (calf) was reinstated from the 10-day DL. Texas optioned Ricardo Rodriguez to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday to make room for Martin, who was hurt while attempting to run onto the field during a benches-clearing brawl with the Dodgers last month. … Banister said he expects Perez to work at least three innings. … Sunday will mark Palumbo’s first action since April 2017.

Twins: Rosario went 0 for 4 after missing a game with shoulder soreness. … INF Eduardo Escobar pinch-hit in the eighth after taking a pitch to the elbow Thursday against Boston. Molitor said before the game he was optimistic Escobar would be ready to start Saturday. … RHP Ervin Santana (finger) threw 35 pitches to hitters on Friday. ”He said it’s one of the better days he’s had in a while, so I was encouraged by that,” Molitor said.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Yovani Gallardo (0-0) will make his second start of 2018 after exiting Sunday’s game against Colorado trailing 5-1.

Twins: RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-4) makes his seventh career start against the Rangers and first of the season. He’s 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA against Texas.

When surging Texas goes for a three-game sweep of the visiting Chicago White Sox on Sunday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, Cole Hamels, the pitcher the Rangers expected to be their bell cow in this season of rebuilding, will be on the mound.

It remains to be seen how much longer Hamels (4-6 http://www.thecoltsfootballauthentic.com/ben-banogu-jersey-authentic , with a 3.61 ERA) stays in that position. He could, instead, be a huge piece to the puzzle in a trade that would net more prospects for a team in dire need of them.

The White Sox will send right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (3-5, 3.73 ERA) to the mound in the series finale.

The Rangers beat Chicago 13-4 on Saturday behind five solid innings from the ageless Bartolo Colon, a three-run double from Robinson Chirinos, a home run from Joey Gallo and a seven-run eighth inning.

Texas was without designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo on Saturday as he battles right quad soreness and was given the night off.

Choo said his upper quad has been bothering him over the past 10 days, but he’s played through it well enough to extend his streak of reaching base to 41 straight games, tops in the Major Leagues this season. It’s also tied with Toby Harrah (1985) for the third-longest single-season streak in club history.

“I felt like it was an opportunity to get him off his legs, give him a day,” manager Jeff Banister told mlb.com about Choo’s absence from the starting lineup. “He’s played through it for a while.”

Choo underwent an MRI at his own request on Saturday and said afterward he does not believe the injury is serious.

“I know I have the streak going on, but my body and staying healthy is more important,” Choo said. “And winning games is more important than records. I don’t want to make it worse. I don’t think it’s serious.”

Chicago is another team building from the ground up but already has its second baseman of the future Parris Campbell Jersey , Yoan Moncada, on the field as an everyday player. Moncada, who was acquired from Boston as part of the trade that sent Chris Sale to the Red Sox, has struggled through the first half of the season, hitting just .225 after batting .231 in 54 games last season.

He also has a team-high 13 errors at second base.

“I did not expect to have as many tough, difficult moments as I’ve been having,” Moncada told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’ve learned that this is a process, it’s something young guys have to get used to. You can’t get frustrated at any point. If you keep your faith in what you do, you’re going to be good.”

Lopez will make his 17th start of the season, 10th on the road and second against the Rangers this season when he takes the hill on Sunday. He is 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA over his past three road starts. His last time out, on June 26, Lopez earned the win versus Minnesota http://www.thecoltsfootballauthentic.com/bobby-okereke-jersey-authentic , allowing four runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings in an 8-4 Chi-Sox victory.

Lopez is receiving a 3.45 run support average this season, the ninth-lowest in the AL. He will be making his third career start against the Rangers and second at Globe Life Park.

Lopez garnered the win in his last start against Texas on May 20 in Chicago, pitching eight scoreless innings.

Hamels will also make his 17th start of the season and leads all Texas starters in ERA (3.61), starts (16), innings (97 1/3), and strikeouts (97). He has gone 3-2 with a 3.28 ERA in his nine starts since May 5 to lower his ERA from 4.08 to 3.61.

Hamels will be working on five days’ rest and last worked and took a no-decision in the Rangers’ 7-4 win on Monday at home against San Diego. He allowed a season-high nine hits in that game, exiting after trailing 4-1 in the sixth, ending a streak of eight straight starts six-plus or more innings pitched.

Hamels has gone 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA in four career starts against the White Sox, recording quality starts in three of those four outings.