ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Randy Arozarena homered main off ninth inning to present the most important league-best Tampa Bay Rays a 2-1 victory over the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night time.
After Minnesota tied it within the prime of the inning, Arozarena despatched an 0-1 pitch from Jhoan Duran (1-2) to the other area into the stands in right-center area.
“I’d say I called it,” Arozarena stated via a translator. “I didn’t want to bat because I thought we were going to win it earlier. But once they tied it, I knew that I was going to have a chance to get a nice hit there.”
Arozarena has 12 homers and 43 RBIs.
“He’s got a knack for it,” Rays supervisor Kevin Cash stated. “He seems to elevate his game when we need it most.”
Duran has given up simply two earned runs over 18 2/3 innings in his final 17 video games.
PHOTOS: Randy Arozarena hits leadoff homer in ninth, Rays beat Twins 2-1
Jason Adam (2-1) blew his fourth save alternative in 13 probabilities when the Twins rallied within the ninth.
Adam hit Donovan Solano with one out and walked Max Kepler after pinch-runner Michael A. Taylor stole second. Taylor then swiped third earlier than Royce Lewis tied it with an RBI single.
Minnesota loaded the bases when Will Castro was hit by a pinch, however third baseman Isaac Paredes began a nifty double play with a tumbling throw to second on Ryan Jeffers’ grounder.
“Incredible play by Isaac,” stated Rays second baseman Taylor Walls, who took Paredes throw. “That was large play. We actually wanted that.
Paredes additionally homered, and 6 Rays pitchers mixed on a three-hitter.
Tampa Bay (45-19) restricted the Twins (31-31) to 4 hits in a 7-0 victory within the sequence opener Tuesday night time.
“We can look at it and say we should be better,” Minnesota supervisor Rocco Baldelli stated. “We’re going to have to play better. It’s in there. We have the group to do it.”
The Rays improved to 28-6 at dwelling. It’s the perfect dwelling begin for the reason that 1998 New York Yankees additionally went 28-6.
Minnesota’s Pablo López allowed one run and 5 hits in seven innings.
The Twins have misplaced a season-high 4 in a row. Minnesota has scored 5 runs and picked up 26 hits in its final 5 video games.
“It’s a little frustrating because we know the type of the team that we are,” López stated. “We know the quality we have.”
Paredes homered main off the second. Tampa Bay leads the AL with 106 homers.
Cooper Criswell struck out Carlos Correa with two on to finish the third. He additionally fanned Correa, who hit a protracted foul to left throughout the at-bat, with a runner on first and no outs within the sixth earlier than being changed by Kevin Kelly.
Correa went 0 for 4. He returned Monday after lacking three recreation after reaggravating plantar fasciitis on his left foot and is 1 for 8 with 5 strikeouts over the stretch.
NICE MOVE
López labored out of 1 and third one-out jam within the third by selecting Wander Franco off at first base and placing out Randy Arozarena.
THE OPENING
Reliever Shawn Armstrong began and allowed one hit over two scoreless innings. The right-hander reached behind himself to knockdown Lewis’ second-inning grounder and threw him out at first.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: Lewis was again within the lineup after lacking one recreation. He was concerned in a collision at first base the place he flipped over in Sunday’s recreation towards Cleveland.
Rays: Slugger Brandon Lowe (decrease again) gained’t take part in baseball activites for 2 to 3 weeks. It is a unique again harm from final yr when he was restricted to 65 video games.
UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Bailey Ober (3-2) will begin the sequence finale Thursday. The Rays haven’t introduced a starter.
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