Josh Lowe belted his first career home run in a four-run first inning as the Tampa Bay Rays ended the Minnesota Twins’ seven-game winning streak with a 6-1 victory in the opener of a three-game series Friday night at St. Petersburg, Fla.
Corey Kluber gave up one run and one hit across six innings for his first victory as a member of the Rays, who’ve won three games in a row and five of their last six.
Tampa Bay catcher Mike Zunino, who hadn’t played since Tuesday because of an arm ailment, also homered for the first time this season.
Twins starter Dylan Bundy (3-1) had allowed a total of one earned run in his first three games. He lasted six innings and was charged with six earned runs and seven hits despite striking out seven. He walked two.
Carlos Correa had the only two Minnesota hits, a pair of singles, until Nick Gordon’s lead-off double in the ninth.
Kluber (1-1) is with his fourth team in four seasons, and this matched his longest outing among his last 11 appearances dating to last year. He struck out six without issuing a walk.
The only hit off Kluber was Correa’s RBI single in the fourth. That drove in Byron Buxton, who was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a groundout.
Javy Guerra worked the seventh and Phoenix Sanders logged the last two innings out of the Rays’ bullpen. Guerra was in his fifth game since arriving in a trade from San Diego.
Lowe, a rookie serving as designated hitter Friday, clobbered a three-run homer after Wander Franco’s run-scoring double opened the scoring.
The Rays tacked on another run on Yandy Diaz’s single in the second inning. Zunino launched his homer in the third.
Franco and Diaz both went 2-for-4 to account for half of Tampa Bay’s eight hits.
–Field Level Media