ARLINGTON, Texas -- Max Kepler and the last-place Minnesota Twins are starting to have some fun.Theyre winning games, including three in a row against the American Leagues top team.Kepler drove in three runs with a homer and a short sacrifice fly, Tyler Duffey matched a career high with nine strikeouts and the Twins won 10-1 Thursday night in the opener of a four-game set at Texas after finishing their series at home last weekend with two straight over the Rangers.Its awesome. Its everything we ask for in a team, Kepler said. Everybodys picking each other up. No ones trying to do too much. Guys are getting on and keeping the line moving.The Twins (30-55) have won five of their last six overall.Minnesota led for good after Eduardo Nunez and Joe Mauer started the game with consecutive hits off Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-2) and both scored. Kurt Suzuki led off the second with his fifth homer, and it was 4-0 after Brian Dozier snapped an 0-for-13 slump with an RBI single later in the inning.That was a good win. It wasnt pretty early. We left men on base, but we were able to score a little bit, manager Paul Molitor said. Offensively, after four early, it didnt feel comfortable. I thought Maxs home run to extend that was good even though it was late. Then we were able to get the big inning.Keplers seventh homer of the season was a two-run shot that ignited a five-run eighth, putting the Twins up 9-0.Duffey (5-6) retired the last nine batters he faced. The right-hander limited Texas to two hits over six innings, but walked four and hit two batters.The Rangers didnt score until Rougned Odor had a one-out triple in the ninth, their first base runner since the fourth, and came home when Elvis Andrus singled.Keplers sac fly was a popup to shallow center field in the first caught by lunging shortstop Andrus. That sent Nunez home with the first run before Robbie Grossmans RBI single.Even with seven losses in nine games, the Rangers (53-34) still have the ALs best record and a 6 1/2-game lead over Houston in the AL West.For the first time in team history, Texas has gone six consecutive games without its starting pitcher finishing at least five innings.Gonzalez made it only 4 2/3 innings, throwing 124 pitches in the longest outing by a Rangers starter in that stretch that started when the young right-hander got only two outs at Minnesota last Saturday. He allowed nine hits and walked five.Bottom line, weve got to be better, we have to be better, manager Jeff Banister said. Weve been really good in some stretches, we talk about, it all starts with starting pitching. ... We cant continue to cover four or five innings in the bullpen every single night.STRANDED RUNNERSWhile Molitor wasnt sure if the Twins had scored 10 or 11 runs, he knew how many runners they left on base. I do know we left 15, he said. I always look at that.SHORT HOPSKepler has six homers in his last 17 games. ... Every Minnesota starter had a hit. The last Twin to get a hit was No. 9 batter Byron Buxton with an RBI single in the eighth. ... The Rangers failed to homer for the first time in 18 games. ... OF Jared Hoying pitched the ninth for Texas, giving up solo homer to pinch-hitter Kennys Vargas.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: Molitor said RHP Phil Hughes indicated in an e-mail Thursday that his surgery Wednesday went well. Hughes had a rib removed to help relieve thoracic outlet syndrome.Rangers: Yu Darvish threw a 32-pitch bullpen session. The Rangers will see how he feels Friday before determining if the right-hander will make his next rehab start Saturday or Sunday for Double-A Frisco. ... 1B Mitch Moreland was out of the starting lineup for the fifth consecutive day because of a mild strain in his right calf. He is expected to play Friday.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-5) goes for third consecutive victory. He has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts, including last Sunday at home to beat Texas.Rangers: All-Star LHP Cole Hamels (9-2, 2.93 ERA) makes his second consecutive start against the Twins, who had five runs and 10 hits off him in four innings Sunday at Minnesota -- his shortest start since being acquired by the Rangers last July. He still has a chance to become the first Texas pitcher in four seasons to get 10 wins by the All-Star break. Yeezy 350 V2 Sesame Pas Cher . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Yeezy 350 V3 Noir .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. http://www.pascheryeezy350v2.fr/ . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Yeezy 350 v2 Pas Cher . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. Yeezy 350 v2 France . JOHNS, N. The USA Cricket Association has announced over the weekend that it has offered central contracts to four players and intends to offer up to 20 more contracts in the next two to three months. The declarations were made by USACA president Gladstone Dainty and former USA coach Robin Singh during a series of speeches and presentations made at the USACA T20 National Championship in Florida this weekend.USA captain Steven Taylor, allrounders Timroy Allen and Timil Patel, and Trinbago Knight Riders batsman William Perkins were the first four players offered central contracts by the USACA. Dainty stated in a speech to the players on November 19 that the contracts were worth $48,000. It is not known if any of the players has accepted the offer yet but according to multiple sources, USAs players were advised by ICC Americas officials last month to decline any offer made by USACA after rumours of potential contract offers had circulated. A battle for control of the selection process for USA national teams is not unprecedented. In 2005, a dispute over USA squad selections between USACA and the Council of League Presidents resulted in USA being kicked out of the Intercontinental Cup and replaced by Cayman Islands. USACA was suspended soon after, the first of three administrative suspensions over the course of the next decade.In September, ICC Americas staff, currently administering USA cricket in a caretaker role, hired former Sri Lanka Test cricketer Pubudu Dassanayake as the new USA coach ahead of WCL Division Four in Los Angeles, which USA won to gain promotion to Division Three. Robin last coached a USA side at 2014 ICC WCL Division Three in Malaysia, when USA finished fifth and were relegated to Division Four, but he is still listed on the USACA web site as their mens national coach.However, under USACAs current suspension, the ICC has made clear that it has assumed complete control over USAs operational affairs including national-team selection. Dassanayake is expected to continue leading USAs preparation for Division Three in Uganda next year. USACA has until December 15 to ratify a new constitution that has been approved by the ICC. Failure to do so may see a resolution put forth by December 31 leadiing to USACAs potential expulsion as an Associate Member at the next ICC Annual Conference in June 2017.ddddddddddddIn a speech delivered on Sunday, Robin said he had put together a list of players from which 20 would receive USACA contracts in early 2017. Robin emphasised that the contracts were made possible by the $70 million investment deal announced last month between USACA and Philadelphia businessman Jay Pandya, who was subsequently announced as the new owner of the CPL franchise St Lucia Zouks.Were going to consider all of these people going forward to give contracts, Robin said after the list of 29 additional names for consideration was unveiled. Hopefully in the next year or two, we want to actually give out about 20 professional contracts and we want to make it as clear as possible. We want to make sure people are actually committed to the game. Ill put out a list of commitments and requirements that I expect, and theres going to be some very tough lines.The USACA list of 33 players differs in notable ways from the 30-man national squad announced by ICC Americas evaluators in July. Among those that have been included in the USACA list of potential contract recipients are several players with first-class experience overseas including former India U-19 and Mumbai medium pacer Saurabh Netravalkar, Carlitos Lopez and Roy Silva. The only players who were part of USAs Division Four and Auty Cup squads from October not included in USACAs proposed contract list are Srini Santhanam, Hammad Shahid and Abdullah Syed.In the next three months, were going to make sure there are a lot of games played, Robin said. Its not only for the people who are on this list. I will call people outside the box and I think its necessary. If people are injured, or not available, or not honest enough, we will remove them from the list because its not my money. We are playing with other peoples money here and I think [Pandya] has made a serious commitment to take the game forward in this part of the world, and I think, as cricketers, you owe it to yourself to give yourself the best chance. ' ' '