St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) – Delmon Young drove in the game-winning run in the 13th inning as the Minnesota Twins took a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the third of a four-game set.
Scott Baker gave up just three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in the start for the Twins, who had dropped their previous two after winning eight straight. Jason Repko drove in the other run while Danny Valencia had two hits and scored a run.
“Anytime a pitcher pitches like that, you would love for him to get it. He deserves to win,” Twins center fielder Denard Span said of Baker. “It’s too bad for him, but I’m pretty sure if you go ask him, he would say that he’s just happy we won today.”
David Price was charged with just one run on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings for the Rays, who had won three straight. Dan Johnson drove in the lone run while Lance Cormier (3-3) was handed the loss.
“Really impressed with Lance Cormier,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He hadn’t pitched in a while, and to do what he did, he did a great job, man.”
In the 13th inning, Alexi Casilla led off with a walk and Joe Mauer followed with a single. Young then put the Twins ahead with an RBI single to left.
Matt Guerrier (2-6), who worked a perfect 12th inning, then set the Rays down in order in the bottom of the frame to complete the win.
The Twins got on the board in the second as Valencia hit a two-out single and came home when Repko doubled off the wall in left for a 1-0 lead.
Baker retired the Rays in order in the second, third and fourth innings, but did give up a leadoff double to John Jaso in the fifth. Jaso was stranded there, though, as Baker set down the next three batters to preserve the one- run lead.
Carl Crawford doubled with one out in the sixth, but Baker struck out Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce to end the frame.
Baker set the Rays down in order in the seventh and the Twins put men on second and third with one out in the eighth, but Young flied out to shallow right and Michael Cuddyer grounded out to end the threat.
Sean Rodriguez nearly tied the game in the home eighth when he crushed a 2-1 pitch high enough and far enough, but it was just to the left of the left field foul pole. Baker worked around a one-out walk in the frame to preserve the lead.
Matt Capps came on to close the game in the ninth and promptly gave up a double to Longoria to start the frame. Longoria moved up a base on Joyce’s fly out and came home to tie the contest on Johnson’s single.
Game Notes
Tampa has taken five of the seven games against Minnesota this season…Kevin Slowey takes the mound for Minnesota on Thursday and will be opposed by Wade Davis for Tampa…Tampa had five hits in the game, four of which were doubles.