C.J. Cron and Jake Bauers each hit two-run homers and Joey Wendle had a two-run triple to highlight three consecutive five-run innings for the Tampa Bay Rays, who pounded out 20 hits in a 19-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Tampa Bay tied a franchise record with 19 runs and became the seventh team in the live ball era (since 1920), and the first since the 1991 Giants, to score five or more runs in three straight innings. Bauers drove in four runs, and six other Rays finished with two RBIs.
Matt Duffy, Mallex Smith and Adeiny Hechavarria each had three hits, Bauers scored four runs and All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos had a two-run double for Tampa Bay, which snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 32-2 when scoring five or more runs in a game.
Ramos left the game after grounding out in the sixth with left hamstring tightness. His condition will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
Chris Archer made his second start since a five-week stint on the disabled list with an abdominal strain and left after 4 1/3 innings and throwing 93 pitches, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out seven and walking one. Jaime Schultz (1-0) picked up his first major league win by pitching 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief.
Eddie Rosario had three hits, including a two-run double, and Max Kepler homered for Minnesota, which had a three-game win streak snapped. Eduardo Escobar added a pair of RBI singles and Bobby Wilson also had two hits for the Twins, who lost for just the second time in 10 games.
After Kepler gave the Twins a 1-0 lead in the second with his 11th homer of the season, Tampa Bay parlayed four hits, including three doubles, into four runs in the fourth. Ramos lined a two-run double to right-center to drive in Duffy and Bauers to give the Rays a 2-1 lead. Two outs later, Carlos Gomez doubled in Ramos and came around to score on a double to left-center by Smith.
After an RBI single by Escobar cut the Rays' lead to 4-2 in the fifth, the Twins came back to take a 6-4 lead with a four-run sixth, highlighted by a two-run double by Rosario and an RBI single by Escobar.
But Tampa Bay turned four hits and a pair of walks into five runs while batting around to take a 9-6 lead in the seventh. Kevin Kiermaier and Duffy had back-to-back RBI singles to tie it. One out and a wild pitch later, Jesus Sucre -- who replaced Ramos -- drove in Kiermaier with a sacrifice fly. After an intentional walk to Cron, Wendle lined a two-run triple to center.
Cron smacked his 19th homer of the season, a two-run shot to left, and Bauers lined a two-run double into the right field corner to highlight another five-run inning by the Rays in the eighth off reliever Matt Belisle.
The Twins summoned rookie utilityman Willians Astudillo to pitch the ninth. Gomez led off with his eighth homer of the year and Bauers hit his fifth of the season, a two-run drive to right to end the scoring.
Twins starter Jose Berrios allowed six runs on six hits in six innings, walking three and striking out five. Reliever Zach Duke (3-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
--Field Level Media
Tampa Bay | Minnesota | |
Chris Archer | Player | Jose Berrios |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
4.1 | IP | 6.0 |
7 | Strikeouts | 5 |
5 | Hits | 6 |
2.08 | ERA | 9.00 |
Tampa Bay | Minnesota | |
Mallex Smith | Player | Eddie Rosario |
3 | Hits | 3 |
1 | RBI | 2 |
0 | HR | 0 |
5 | TB | 4 |
.750 | Avg | .600 |