Field Level Media
May 30, 2019
Austin Meadows had two hits and four RBIs and Ji-Man Choi hit a two-run homer as the Tampa Bay Rays sent 10 men to the plate in the third inning and nine in the fourth while cruising to their sixth straight victory, 14-3, over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Avisail Garcia went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored, Brandon Lowe went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Christian Arroyo, called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Durham, added a pair of doubles and two RBIs for the Rays, who finished with 16 hits. Tommy Pham also had two hits before leaving with a right lower leg cramp.
Charlie Morton (6-0) picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six.
Martin Perez (7-2) suffered his first road loss in five starts for Minnesota. Perez, who had gone at least five innings in each of his eight previous starts this season, allowed six runs on six hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings while striking out three.
Ehire Adrianza and Jason Castro each had two hits and Byron Buxton had a triple and an RBI to lead the Twins offensively.
The Rays built a 6-0 lead in the third inning. Daniel Robertson started the rally with a single and Garcia and Pham followed with walks to load the bases. Meadows then hit a double down the right field line to empty the bases.
One out later, Travis d'Arnaud singled in Meadows and then went to third on a double by Arroyo. Lowe followed with a two-run single to right to make it 6-0, chasing Perez in the process.
The Rays then parlayed six hits, including three doubles, and a walk into five more runs in the fourth off reliever Zack Littell highlighted by a two-run double by Arroyo. Meadows and Willy Adames each had RBI singles and Lowe added an RBI double which increased Tampa Bay's lead to 11-0.
The Twins cut it to 11-2 with an RBI single by Adrianza in the fifth, driving in Luis Arraez who had doubled, and a RBI groundout by Max Kepler in the sixth, driving in Buxton, who started the inning with his triple.
The Rays extended their lead to 14-2 in the seventh on an RBI double by Garcia and Choi's two-run homer, his fifth of the season.
Buxton drove in Adrianza with a fielder's choice in the eighth to end the scoring.
--Field Level Media