MINNEAPOLIS – With almost a full month in the majors, Chris Davis is, relatively speaking, a grizzled veteran on this youthful Rangers team.

So, late Sunday afternoon, when he spied his friend and minor league roommate Taylor Teagarden sitting stonefaced in the dugout, Davis had to offer a little veteran advice.

"Dude, the least you can do is smile," Davis said.

But who could blame Teagarden for living in a state of disbelief? Who has the kind of week that Teagarden was just putting the finishing touches on by homering to drive in the only run in a 1-0 win over Minnesota?

The sixth-inning homer – on a two-out, full-count pitch, no less – broke up a perfect game bid by Minnesota's Scott Baker, but it was only one moment in a week gone wild. The eight-day span began with Teagarden, a Carrollton Creekview and UT product, appearing in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. It went on to include an appointment to the U.S. Olympic team, his major league debut, his first hit (the homer), his first caught-stealing and calling a 1-0 shutout in his second game.

A 1-0 shutout is uncommon in the majors these days but is a genuine milestone for the Rangers, who seem to win those only once every election or Olympic year. They won their last one Sept. 19, 2004. The one before that came in 2000.

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Taylor Teagarden (left) fields a bunt by Minnesota Twins' Alexi Casilla (not shown) as third baseman Hank Blalock backs him.

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The only downer: Teagarden may have made such an impression that he could play his way right off the Olympic team. The Rangers will decide today whether to send Teagarden back to the minor leagues to keep him eligible for the Beijing Games. Players must be in the minors by Tuesday to be eligible.

The other option would be to send Max Ramirez down. Much depends on how far the Rangers think Gerald Laird is from returning from the disabled list. Laird will work out in Arizona today. If he is deemed ready for a rehab assignment, Teagarden almost certainly will get sent back. If not, the decision becomes more complicated.

"There is no doubt I want to be here helping this team," said Teagarden, who did finally crack a grin after the win. "It would be an unfortunate situation not to go to Beijing, but how could I tell [manager] Ron Washington I'd rather be there, especially since I don't even feel that way. If there's an opportunity to be here, I want to be here."

He certainly made a convincing argument for himself Sunday. It began with his handling of Vicente Padilla. Teagarden and Padilla quickly got on the same page and needed only 80 pitches to get through seven scoreless innings.

When the Twins got the leadoff man on in the fourth, they tried to test Teagarden's arm. After a jittery high throw in his debut Friday, his second throw was a thing of beauty. Ian Kinsler had to wait more than a full beat for Brian Buscher to slide into the tag.

The only problem was that Baker was mowing down an offense that is having trouble awakening from All-Star break hibernation. Baker retired the first 17 batters. Teagarden, who struck out in his first at-bat, worked the count full, then got a high fastball that he drove to center field.

"I got a tapped infield single for my first major league hit, and he goes to dead center," Davis said. "I told him he one-upped me. I know there is excitement and emotion, but he just doesn't show it. What he did, though, was show everybody what he's capable of."