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MINNEAPOLIS -- The surging Texas Rangers passed their latest test in resiliency, reaching the midpoint of their season on a resounding note.Ian Desmond homered to lead off the 10th inning for Texas, and the Rangers held on for a 3-2 victory Friday night over the Minnesota Twins.Theres nothing wrong with a little adversity, especially to kind of see what were made of, said Desmond, who leads the majors this season with five go-ahead home runs in the seventh inning or later.After losing back-to-back games to the Yankees in New York on the last at-bat, including a six-run rally Wednesday against relievers Matt Bush and Sam Dyson, the league-leading Rangers improved to 18-6 in one-run decisions this year.Sometimes theyre gifts. They show us what are flaws are, manager Jeff Banister said.Dyson surrendered a leadoff single in the 10th, but he struck out the next two batters and notched his 17th save in 19 attempts. Bush (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, which lifted the Rangers to a club-record 52-29 at the 81-game mark.Its a good number. Its a much better number than being the other way around, Banister said. Were not going to toast to halfway.Flip their record, and its still three games better than the Twins (25-54).Trevor Plouffe tied the game for the Twins with a two-run home run in the seventh that spoiled Martin Perezs shutout bid, but Desmond took Fernando Abad (1-3) deep to start the extra session. Abad has taken the loss in three of his last four appearances.Obviously that fastball wasnt where he wanted it, Twins manager Paul Molitor said.Ervin Santana turned in his third straight sturdy start for the Twins, though he needed 117 pitches to log 6 1/3 innings. Two of his three walks came in the seventh, when pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar put the Rangers in front with a two-run single off reliever Ryan Pressly. Santana struck out five and allowed only three hits.Perez retired the first 10 batters he faced and finished the fourth, fifth and sixth innings with double plays.In the fifth, after Max Kepler sacrificed to move the runners up to second and third, Kurt Suzuki tried to bunt, too. Plouffe broke for home with the pitch, but the ball popped high enough in the air for first baseman Mitch Moreland to catch it and throw across the diamond for an easy out. Just the type of ugly mistakes that have made a bad season much worse for the Twins.It didnt work out. We didnt get the ball down, Molitor said.Throwing strong in his first full season since Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his elbow, Perez hasnt lost in eight starts. The left-hander allowed five hits and three walks in seven innings while striking out three, taking his second no-decision during that span.IAN IS IN A GROOVEDesmond, in his first season with the Rangers, leads the majors with 34 multi-hit games. He hit .358 in June and is tied for the team lead in homers (15) and RBI (52), making quite the case for the All-Star team.He just continues to impress us every single night he goes out there, Banister said.DOZIERS DRIVESBrian Dozier singled before Plouffes homer, stretching his hitting streak to a career-high 13 consecutive games during which hes hitting .431 with 12 extra-base hits and 13 RBI. Doziers run of 11 games in a row with at least one extra-base hit ended as the longest in a single season in the majors since Chipper Jones had 14 straight in 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: RHP Yu Darvish (shoulder) took another step toward returning to the rotation, throwing a smooth bullpen session before the game. Hell start a rehab assignment Monday with Double-A Frisco. RHP Keone Kela (elbow) could be back in the bullpen after the All-Star break. Hell pitch Monday for Triple-A Round Rock.Twins: Miguel Sano played 3B in his return from rehab (hamstring), and he threw Adrian Beltre out with an off-balance, bare-handed grab of a slow grounder to end the sixth. Sano pumped his arm on the way to the dugout. With the RF experiment all but over, Sano will rotate between 3B and DH.UP NEXTRangers RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will make his second start of the season Saturday afternoon. RHP Tyler Duffey (3-6, 5.59 ERA) will take the mound for the Twins in the middle game of the series, coming off a career-high eight innings in a win on the road over the Yankees. He gave up just two hits and one run. Mark Stone Jersey . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Max Pacioretty Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-marc-andre-fleury-golden-knights-jersey/ . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Shea Theodore Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Reilly Smith Jersey . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No.WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart has been released from the hospital and is resting at home. His team, Stewart-Haas Racing, tweeted the news on Sunday night: "TonyStewart is out of the hospital & resting as comfortably as he can at home. Thx for the thoughts & prayers." The tweet closed with a "SmokeWillRise" hashtag. Stewart broke his right leg in two places last Monday night in a sprint car race in Iowa and is out indefinitely after two suurgeries to repair the damage.dddddddddddd A five-time winner at Watkins Glen International, Stewart missed race Sunday, snapping his streak of 521 consecutive Cup starts and dropping him six spots to 17th in the Sprint Cup standings. Max Papis drove Stewarts No. 14 Chevrolet and finished 15th. Several drivers had stickers on their cars honouring Stewart with the message: "Get Well Smoke 14." The team is expected to name a replacement driver for Stewart as early as Monday. ' ' '