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Final Score: Texas 8 - Minnesota 7

Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Josh Hamilton's solo homer in the 10th inning made the difference, as the Texas Rangers topped Minnesota, 8-7, and earned a four-game split with the Twins.

Hamilton stepped to the plate with two outs after Ian Kinsler and Michael Young struck out. Brian Bass got Hamilton to foul off a pair of pitches late in the at-bat for a 3-2 count. But the left-handed Hamilton took the seventh pitch -- a slider that tailed away -- and smacked it over the left field wall, about six rows deep.

C.J. Wilson threw a perfect bottom of the 10th to close out the win for the Rangers, who have won 15 of their last 22 games.

Hamilton finished 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, while David Murphy also had three hits and Milton Bradley went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and two walks.

"You see the ball better out of the pitcher's hand in domes," Hamilton said of playing in the Metrodome. "You don't have to worry about sun glare out of center field...or anything like that. From the first time I played in a dome...I just noticed a huge difference."

Joaquin Benoit (3-1) took the win, despite blowing the save and giving up two runs in two innings of work. Starter Vicente Padilla, who had a 4-0 record and 1.60 earned run average in his last five starts, only lasted five innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks.

Carlos Gomez powered the Twins' offense with four hits, including a homer, and three RBI.

Bass (1-1) took the loss after giving up the game-winning homer, while starter Livan Hernandez allowed six runs -- five earned -- in 5 1/3 frames. However, Hernandez's day might have been better if not for the first inning, when Texas put up four runs.

Kinsler led off with a single and Young followed with a double. Hamilton brought one run in with a sacrifice fly deep to left, and Bradley punched a single just past a diving Alexi Casilla at second base to plate Young for a 2-0 Rangers edge.

Hernandez continued to struggle, as Murphy drove the ball off the tarp- covered wall in right field to put runners on second and third.

Gerald Laird then hit a grounder to the hole at shortstop, but Brendan Harris managed to backhand the ball. However, his throw to first was high, and Michael Cuddyer couldn't hang on as the ball bounced into foul territory. Bradley scored on the play, and it put runners back on second and third with one out.

"Fundamentally, (defense is) what we're known for," Justin Morneau said of the Twins' defense. "That's what we're supposed to do. We haven't done it lately. It's pretty ugly. Routine double plays that we normally turn, helping our pitchers out."

Marlon Byrd grounded out to short, and this time Harris made the play, though Murphy came home to make it 4-0 Texas. Hernandez worked out of the inning from there, but not before throwing 30 pitches -- just 15 for strikes.

The Twins cut their deficit in half when Gomez roped a two-RBI single to right, plating Mike Redmond and Casilla.

Gomez smoked a solo homer to left-center field in the home fifth to get Minnesota within one.

But in the next frame, Hernandez plunked Laird with a slow, off-target curve, and Byrd beat Hernandez to the bag after grounding to first. Ramon Vazquez advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Chris Shelton came through with a double to left to bring them both in, and give Texas some breathing room with a 6-3 lead.

Matt Guerrier was summoned out of the bullpen, but a bunt single from Kinsler and walk to Young loaded the bases. However, the Twins' reliever got Hamilton to ground into a double play to end the threat.

Minnesota put together a two-out rally to get back in the game, as Mike Lamb singled, and Jamey Wright walked Casilla, then hit Gomez with a pitch. A walk to Harris forced in a run, kept the bases loaded and ended Wright's brief outing.

Frank Francisco came in and missed low on a fastball to walk Cuddyer and force in another run that brought the Twins within 6-5.

Guerrier made a throwing error in the seventh on a Laird grounder, allowing Bradley to cross home. But the Twins tied the game in the home eighth against Benoit.

Casilla and Gomez began the frame with singles, and after a sacrifice bunt and walk to Cuddyer, Morneau stroked a two-RBI single to center for a 7-7 game.