Jake Fraley hit a two-run homer and Ben Williamson went 3-for-4 with a triple, double and two RBIs to power the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-1 victory over the slumping Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Junior Caminero extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single and Yandy Diaz scored two runs for Tampa Bay, which extended its winning streak to three games.
Shane McClanahan (2-2) picked up the win, allowing three hits over five shutout innings. He walked two and struck out seven and left after throwing 86 pitches, 60 for strikes.
Byron Buxton had two hits for Minnesota, which suffered its fourth straight loss and eighth in the past nine games. Bailey Ober (2-1) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three over six innings.
Tampa Bay, which hit four home runs in Friday’s series opening 6-2 victory, took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning Saturday on Fraley’s second homer of the season, a 401-foot drive to right-center, knocking in Diaz, who had been hit by a pitch.
The Rays extended the lead to 5-0 in the seventh. Pinch hitter Jonny DeLuca led off with a double into the left-field corner against reliever Taylor Rogers and scored when Williamson sliced a triple into the gap in left-center. Cedric Mullins then was hit by a pitch — chasing Rogers — and stole second. Nick Fortes lined a single to left off reliever Eric Orze to drive in Williamson. Richie Palacios followed with a sacrifice fly to knock in Mullins.
Tampa Bay added an insurance run in the eighth when Diaz singled and scored on Williamson’s double to the wall in left-center.
Minnesota broke up the shutout in the ninth when Luke Keaschall was hit by a pitch by reliever Trevor Martin, went to second on a groundout by Matt Wallner and scored on a two-out single by Royce Lewis.
–Field Level Media
