Kluber helps to cool off hot Minnesota
The Twins rolled into Tropicana Field Friday with a seven-game winning streak and a handful of familiar faces, including former Rays such as manager Rocco Baldelli and pitchers Chris Archer, Emilio Pagan and Joe Ryan.
Two players new to the Rays this year cooled them off with key roles in Tampa Bay’s 6-1 victory before a Friday night crowd of just 9,928.
Veteran Corey Kluber bounced back from a rough previous start to provide six sterling innings, allowing just one hit.
Rookie outfielder Josh Lowe, added to the roster following the late spring trade of Austin Meadows, delivered his first home run, a three-run shot in the first as the Rays took a 4-0 lead.
The Rays (12-8) immediately jumped on Twins starter Dylan Bundy, who had allowed just one run over his first three starts, covering15 innings.
Brandon Lowe, who came into the game in a rough 5-for44 slump, led off with a double. Wander Franco blooped a ball just inside the leftfield line for an RBI double. Yandy Diaz singled, and then Josh Lowe delivered his blast to centerfield.
The Rays added a run in the second when Taylor Walls walked, stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on Diaz’s single.
They picked up another in the third when Mike Zunino, back in the lineup for the first time since leaving Tuesday’s game with a left biceps strain, hit his first homer of the season.
Kluber allowed 11 hits and four runs over five innings in an April 22 start against the Red Sox but said he pitched better than the box score indicated.
He showed that Friday, retiring the first nine Twins before hitting Byron Buxton to open the fourth and allowing a one-out RBI single. His stat line was reflective of his work this time, as he allowed just the one hit with no walks while striking out six over six innings.
Relievers Javy Guerra and Phoenix Sanders finished as the Rays allowed two or fewer earned runs for the sixth straight game, their longest such streak since a seven-game run in early 2019. Cash backs Franco: Rays manager Kevin Cash knew how it looked.
Star second-year shortstop Franco didn’t run hard down the line after hitting a ground ball that third baseman Abraham Toro made a good play on, nor did Franco accelerate at the end when Mariners first baseman Ty France briefly bobbled the throw.
But Cash said Franco was following orders to not push himself on routine plays after missing the April 18 game in Chicago due to right quad tightness.
“It’s 100 percent on me,” Cash said after Thursday’s 2-1 win. “I’ve looked at a young player and a lot of our players to say, ‘We’re playing a lot of baseball right now; manage your workload.’ He should have been out. I know the optics of it but fully support Wander. He’s doing what I’m asking him to do, so I appreciate it.”
When Franco returned to the lineup April 19 against the Cubs, Cash and the staff urged him to take it easy. When he ran all out on a ground ball to first in his first at-bat, the coaches yelled at him from the dugout.