Twins storm back in ninth but fall in extras to Rays
The Twins were down to their final strike. Turns out, Jose Miranda wasn’t quite ready to go home.
Miranda connected with a slider and sent it out to left field for a three-run home run, electrifying the Target Field crowd and helping the Twins hit the reset button after falling behind by four runs late in the game.
But while the Twins were able to complete three separate comebacks, their attempt at a fourth fell short in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon at Target Field.
The Rays went ahead for the final time in the top of the 10th inning with Jonny DeLuca’s single off of Griffin Jax, bringing home the automatic runner. That helped dull some of the momentum that the Twins had drummed up by pulling themselves out of a large, late deficit.
And in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Twins went down quickly. Their own automatic runner, Royce Lewis, was thrown out after attempting to advance to third a Carlos Correa fly ball to left field.
The loss came after the Twins rallied back in both the second and third innings, as well.
Their second run of the game, which tied the score at the time, came on Lewis’s ninth home run in 15 games this season as the third baseman continues his torrid start to the season. But the Twins never led, and things started to get away from them in the late innings.
Amed Rosario broke open a tie with a double off Steven Okert to bring home Richie Palacios in the eighth inning. But the Twins were still within a run until the ninth inning, when Jay Jackson surrendered a pair of home runs and put them down four.
Carlos Santana, appearing in his 1,999th career game, led off the ninth inning with a home run, and the Twins strung together a collection of good at-bats before Miranda’s big blast sent the game to extras where the Twins fell for the second straight day.
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