Danny Valencia knocked home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and Scott Baker outdueled David Price as the Minnesota Twins held on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 Friday night.
With the Rays nursing a 1-0 lead, Minnesota outfielder Delmon Young continued his hot play with an RBI double to center field with two out in the seventh. Young has 11 RBIs in his last 11 games and a team-best 54 on the season.
Valencia followed with a sharp single to center, bringing Young home with the winning run as the Twins avenged a 5-4, 10-inning loss to Tampa Bay a night earlier. Valencia finished 2-for-2 with a walk, ending a personal 2-for-12 skid.
The two-run outburst was enough for Baker (7-7), who limited the Rays offense to a lone run on six hits over seven solid innings. He struck out and didn't walk a batter as he ended a two-game losing streak.
A night after blowing his fourth save of the season, Jon Rauch allowed a pair of baserunners in the ninth but pitched out of trouble to earn his 18th save.
David Price (11-4) fell short in his quest to become the American League's first 12-game winner. Price went the distance on a four-hitter, walking four and striking out six in his second complete game of the campaign.
Evan Longoria's run-scoring double in the first inning provided the lone run for Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay | Minnesota | |
David Price | Player | Scott Baker |
Loss | W/L | Win |
8.0 | IP | 7.0 |
6 | Strikeouts | 8 |
4 | Hits | 6 |
2.25 | ERA | 1.29 |
Tampa Bay | Minnesota | |
Willy Aybar | Player | Danny Valencia |
2 | Hits | 2 |
0 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 2 |
.667 | Avg | 1.000 |