ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays have hit more home runs than any team in the majors this year, and the Twins have struck out more often than anyone. So Tuesday night’s game was like a showcase for the two first-place teams.
Not exactly a mystery who won, is it?
Luke Raley smashed a Louie Varland changeup 450 feet to straightaway center, Jose Siri clobbered a slider 7 feet farther, and the slump-ridden Twins whiffed 12 times en route to their third straight loss, 7-0 at Tropicana Field.
The Twins, who have scored a total of four runs in their past four games, only once reached second base against Rays righthander Zach Elfin, the former Phillie who has led the Rays to 10 victories in his 11 starts. Carlos Correa hit a one-out double off Elfin in the fourth inning, just as Michael A. Taylor did in the eighth off reliever Jalen Beeks, but neither runner budged, with the Twins striking out to end each “threat.”
The Twins finished with only four hits against the American League’s runaway leader, giving them just 23 hits over the past four games, with 43 strikeouts.
Varland, meanwhile, battled through the worst start of his young career, though he managed to complete six innings. But the rookie righthander walked four, and though he only allowed six hits, three were for extra bases — the pair of long home runs, plus a triple into the right field corner by Raley, a former Twins prospect now thriving in Tampa Bay.
Raley’s fourth-inning triple was briefly controversial, because it hit the baseline chalk about 15 feet from home plate and appeared to go foul by inches as it passed first base. But umpire C.B. Bucknor signaled it was fair — a call not subject to replay challenges — and the ball book a bounce away from Max Kepler in the corner, allowing Raley to reach third base with his first career triple.
Randy Arozarena followed with a single to score Raley, and the Rays tacked on two more runs on Christian Bethancourt’s RBI single and a squeeze bunt by Vidal Bruján.