Once again, Rays fail to hold a lead

by Gary Shelton on May 27, 2017 · 0 comments

in general, Tampa Bay Rays

Odorizzi wasn't sharp, but he held the Twins to two runs./jEFFREY S. KING

Odorizzi wasn't sharp, but he held the Twins to two runs./jEFFREY S. KING

Sunday, 2 a.m.

Once again, the Rays watched a lead turn into a loss Saturday afternoon.

Tampa Bay, ahead 2-1, let its 19th lead-holding game get away as Minnesota scored three times in the eighth inning. The Rays had won seven of their previous 10 games.

Once again, the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. With the score tied at 2-2, reliever Danny Farquhar walked ex-Ray Chris Giminez. Second baseman Brian Dozier followed with a two-run homer to

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Norris drove in the Rays' first two runs../JEFFREY S. KING

Norris drove in the Rays' first two runs../JEFFREY S. KING

knock in the winning runs. Byron Buxton added an insurance run, singling in Joe Mauer after Mauer doubled.

Colby Rasmus hit a home run in the ninth to make it 5-3.

Derek Norris had driven in the Rays' first two runs on a single and a sacrifice fly. Rickie Weeks Jr. had two hits.

“I thought our entire pitching staff was kind of fighting a little bit today,” said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. “The Dozier at-bat probably shouldn't have happened (because of the walk.)”

Hunter threw only four pitches before Dozier's game-winning homer.

"You can't really say it was a good pitch because the guy hit it 485 feet," Hunter said. "It was what I wanted to throw, and it was close to where I wanted it. He beat me."

The Rays send Alex Cobb to the mound today to face the Twins' Kyle Gibson in the last game of the series.

Rasmus finished the scoring with a home run./CARMEN MANDATO

Rasmus finished the scoring with a home run./CARMEN MANDATO

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