Twins hammer Rays to clinch 2-run victory in league match

Eddie Rosario hit a two-run bases-loaded single in the ninth inning to break a 3-3 tie and give the Minnesota Twins a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Twins had filled the bases without a hit off reliever Diego Castillo (1-4), who hit both Jonathan Schoop and Willians Astudillo while also intentionally walking Jorge Polanco. Adam Kolarek replaced Castillo and Rosario then grounded a ball down the third base line to drive in both Schoop and Polanco.

Polanco scored three runs and had two doubles and an RBI and Astudillo had a pair of RBI singles for Minnesota, which improved to 15-3 following a loss. Schoop finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and Marwin Gonzalez also had two hits for the Twins. Taylor Rogers (2-1) picked up the win with 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.

Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer and Austin Meadows stole home for Tampa Bay, which had a season-best six-game winning streak snapped. Willy Adames added two hits. Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Polanco, who sat out Thursday night's 14-3 loss to the Rays with a virus, slammed a double off the wall in right-centre and then scored on a single by Astudillo. The Twins nearly made it 3-0 when C.J. Cron came within a foot of a home run with a drive off the top of the right-field fence. Cron ended up with a double and Astudillo, who paused briefly after turning third, was then cut down at the plate by Kiermaier.

Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead in the second on Kiermaier's sixth home run of the season, a 414-foot drive over the centre field fence, driving in Christian Arroyo after a one-out walk. The Rays made it 3-1 in the third when Meadows, who led off with a walk and went to the third one out later on a single by Adames, stole home on a delayed double steal. It was the 12th steal of home in Rays' history.

Minnesota tied it 3-3 in the fifth when Schoop walked, advanced to second on a groundout by Max Kepler and then scored on a double into the gap in left-centre by Polanco. Astudillo then followed with a single to drive in Polanco. The Twins nearly took a 5-3 lead in the eighth when Miguel Sano hit a towering drive down the left field line that likely would have been a two-run homer, except it caromed off a speaker and back to Adames in shallow left field for an out.