Bader strolls off Rays with second home run of game
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)– Harrison Bader struck his 2nd crowning achievement of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 4-3 triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.Bader, the No.
9 batter, lined the very first pitch he saw from Kevin Kelly (0-1) into the first row of left-field seats to complete a three-run Minnesota comeback.Advertisement It was the 2nd career walk-off RBI for Bader, first on a home run.Louis Varland( 3-3 )pitched two scoreless innings for the win.Trailing 3-1 in the seventh, Minnesota got a two-out RBI double from Byron Buxton before Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger hit Willi Castro and Brooks Lee with pitches, connecting the game. Carlos Correa struck out with the bases loaded.Twins starter Chris Paddack permitted 2 earned runs and five hits in five-plus innings. Josh Lowe singled against Paddack leading off the sixth and scored on Yandy Díaz’s double.Junior Caminero drove in Díaz with a single off Danny Coulombe for a 2-1 Rays lead. Lowe included an RBI single in the seventh.Advertisement Zack Littell pitched 6 solid innings for Tampa Bay
, allowing one earned run for the third straight start. He scattered 4 hits and struck out five.Key moment Tampa Bay shortstop Ha-Seong Kim had a hit in his Rays launching before entrusting a cramp in his best calf after he was caught stealing in the 6th inning. Kim does not believe it’s severe, but he’ll be re-evaluated Saturday.Kim missed out on the very first 87 games
this season
recovering from ideal shoulder surgical treatment. The 2023 Gold Glove recipient with San Diego signed a two-year,$ 29 million deal with Tampa Bay on Feb. 3. Key stat Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe extended his career-high striking streak to
19 games with a fourth-inning single. The longest active streak in the majors ties him with Jason Bartlett in 2009 for the second-longest in Rays history. Díaz hit in 20 straight games last season.Advertisement Up next The series continues Saturday when Tampa Bay plans to begin RHP Taj Bradley(5-6, 4.84 ERA). The Twins had yet to announce a set up starter. ___ This story has been corrected to reveal it was the 2nd walk-off RBI for Bader. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb