Carlos Gomez Homers To Carry Tampa Bay Over Twins
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Slumping Carlos Gomez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep Sunday by beating the Minnesota Twins 8-6.
C.J. Cron opened the ninth with a single off Addison Reed (0-1) and Gomez, mired in a 2-for-38 slide, hit the next pitch over the left field wall.
Daniel Robertson had a career-high four hits for Tampa Bay, which has gone 7-5 after losing eight of nine to start the season.
Alex Colome (2-2) struck out three during a perfect ninth to get his second win in three days.
Twins pinch hitter Miguel Sano had an RBI single in the seventh and Brian Dozier made it 6-all with a two-run single in the eighth.
Dozier set a Twins record by extending his season-opening hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the third. He had shared the old mark of 15 with Kirby Puckett (1994) and Josh Willingham (2012). Dating to last season, Dozier has a hit in 23 straight games.
Adeiny Hechavarria hit a three-run homer during a four-run sixth that put Tampa Bay up 6-3. It was his first homer since last Sept. 27, and came on an 0-2 pitch from Alan Busenitz.
Cron hit his third homer over the past two games, a two-run shot off Twins right-hander Phil Hughes in the first.
Hughes allowed two runs and five hits over 3 1/3 innings in his first big league start since last July 14. He ended last season on the 60-day disabled list due thoracic outlet syndrome and start this sidelined by a strained left oblique.
The Twins tied it at 2 on Eduardo Escobar's second-inning solo homer off Yonny Chirinos and an RBI single by Eddie Rosario in the third.
Chirinos, making his first appearance as the Rays' fourth starter, gave up two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: OF Byron Buxton (migraines) went 0 for 4 as the DH for Class A Fort Myers and against Bradenton. He may play in center field Monday and Tuesday for the Florida State League team.
Rays: 3B Matt Duffy (strained right hamstring) could be ready for a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday.
THINKING OF FARQUHAR
The Rays on their Twitter site posted photos of a uniform of former Tampa Bay pitcher Danny Farquhar being hung in the dugout along with the caption "You're in our thoughts, Danny." Farquhar, now with the Chicago White Sox, had a brain hemorrhage stemming from a ruptured aneurysm in the dugout during Friday night's game against Houston.
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Jake Odorizzi (1-1) goes against New York RHP Masahiro Tanaka (2-2) Monday night in the first of four games at Yankee Stadium.
Rays: RHP Jake Faria (1-), who stopped a 10-game winless streak with his first victory since last July 25 against Texas Wednesday, starts the opener of a nine-game road trip Tuesday night at Baltimore.
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