Harold Ramirez hit a two-run homer to highlight a three-run fourth inning as the host Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 4-2 victory on Thursday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Luke Raley added an RBI triple and Josh Lowe had two hits for Tampa Bay, which extended its winning streak to six games while also improving its home record to a major league best 29-6.
Yonny Chirinos (3-1), recalled from Triple-A Durham earlier Thursday, picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four.
Jason Adam picked up his 10th save by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth that ended with Lowe crashing into the right-field fence to snag a drive by Royce Lewis.
Carlos Correa homered and had two hits, Michael A. Taylor hit a home run and Alex Kirilloff also had two hits for Minnesota, which dropped its fifth straight game. The loss dropped the American League Central leaders below the .500 mark (31-32) for the first time this season.
Bailey Ober (3-3) suffered the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven, including six in a row across the second and third innings.
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Correa led off with his seventh home run of the season, a towering 406-foot drive down the left-field line. It was Correa’s first homer since May 13.
Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
Ober, who retired the first 11 batters he faced, walked Randy Arozarena with two outs to snap that streak. Raley followed with a triple into the right-field corner to drive in Arozarena and tie the game, 1-1. Ramirez then drilled the next pitch 416 feet over the center-field fence for his ninth home run.
The Rays extended the lead to 4-1 in the sixth. Wander Franco reached base on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a walk to Arozarena. Franco then stole third and scored when reliever Griffin Jax threw wildly past third.
Taylor hit his eighth homer leading off the eighth inning against reliever Colin Poche to end the scoring.
–Field Level Media
