The game was decided in one explosive inning. Tampa Bay scored four times in the third to build a commanding lead and held on for a 4-2 victory over Minnesota at Tropicana Field on Saturday.
Yandy Diaz anchored the decisive rally, going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk. The veteran first baseman is batting .337 with four home runs and 20 RBIs this season. Chandler Simpson contributed three hits in four at-bats, while Jonathan Aranda drove in two runs.
The third-inning outburst began when Aranda singled to center, scoring Feduccia and Simpson to put Tampa Bay ahead 2-0. Diaz followed with a 359-foot homer to right field that brought Aranda home and extended the lead to 4-0.
Minnesota answered in the seventh when Brooks Lee homered to right, a 333-foot shot that scored Outman and cut the deficit to 4-2. Lee finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk. Simeon Woods Richardson took the loss, allowing eight hits and four runs over 4.1 innings with a 6.30 ERA.
Jesse Scholtens earned the win for Tampa Bay, giving up three hits and two runs in 4.1 innings with a 3.20 ERA. Bryan Baker recorded his sixth save. The Rays extended their winning streak to three games and improved to 15-11, while Minnesota dropped to 12-15 with their fourth straight loss. Diaz sits eight hits away from 1,000 career hits.