For the first time this Grapefruit League season, the Tampa Bay Rays have found themselves on a winning streak, as Drew Rasmussen allowed a run in three innings of work and Manuel Margot homered as part of a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins Tuesday at Charlotte Sports Park.
The Twins jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first as Byron Buxton led off the game against Rasmussen with a double. He would be tagged out in a rundown at the plate on a fielder’s choice by Carlos Correa, who took second on the play and scored on a ground-rule double by Luis Arraez.
But Minnesota’s lead would not last long, as Tampa Bay rallied with two outs. Randy Arozarena reached on a wild pitch after striking out, moved to second on a wlak ti Ji-Man Choi, and scored on a base hit by Yandy Diaz to tie the game.
The Rays took the lead in the second as Margot led off the frame with a solo shot off Bailey Ober, his first home run of the spring.
Carlos Correa brought Minnesota back even leading off the fourth, homering off reliever Brooks Raley to square the score.
Tampa Bay took the lead for good in the fifth, as Arozarena singled off Trevor Megill, Choi drew another walk, and Diaz singled him in to break the tie. Josh Lowe‘s sacrifice fly then played Choi for an insurance run.
J.P. Feyereisen worked an inning and a third without allowing a run, and the Rays also got scoreless innings of relief from Matt Wisler, JT Chargois, and Jason Adam to end the game.
Tampa Bay heads to Sarasota on Wednesday for a matchup with the Baltimore Orioles. Left-hander Josh Fleming is scheduled to start, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
