Tristan Gray belted his first career grand slam and drove in five runs, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away for a 10-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday in Minneapolis.
Gray’s blast highlighted a seven-run seventh inning for the Twins, who won their home opener after playing their first six games of the season on the road. Josh Bell and Royce Lewis drove in two runs apiece.
Nick Fortes doubled and drove in two runs to lead Tampa Bay at the plate. Junior Caminero and Ben Williamson tallied two hits apiece.
Twins left-hander Kody Funderburk (1-1) retired only one batter but got the victory in relief. He was part of a bullpen effort that limited the Rays to one run in five innings.
Rays right-hander Kevin Kelly (0-1) was tagged for six runs (five earned) in one-third of an inning.
The score was tied at 3 when the Twins came to life in the seventh. Bell put Minnesota on top 4-3 with an RBI single to center field, and Trevor Larnach and Lewis followed with bases-loaded walks to increase the lead to 6-3.
Gray put the score out of reach with a 374-foot grand slam just over the wall in right.
Tampa cut the deficit to 10-4 on an RBI single by Cedric Mullins in the eighth.
The Rays opened the scoring in the top of the first. Fortes stepped to the plate with runners on second and third with two outs and delivered a two-run double to left.
Tampa added another run in the top of the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. Jake Fraley hit a leadoff double and scored three batters later on Williamson’s double.
Minnesota rallied to even the score at 3-all in the bottom of the fourth.
Bell drove in the first run of the inning on a double to right that scored Luke Keaschall. Lewis followed three batters later with an RBI fielder’s choice which couldn’t be fielded at short by Carson Williams, and Gray capped the frame’s scoring with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Ryan Jeffers.
Byron Buxton left the game after being hit by a pitch on his right forearm. The team said Buxton bruised his arm and X-rays were negative.
