Twins at Rays
Joe Mauer has enjoyed his trips to play the Tampa Bay Rays, batting .407 with 19 RBIs in 21 career games, but came up empty Monday. The former American League MVP will try to rebound when his Minnesota Twins visit the Rays for the second of a four-game set on Tuesday. Mauer was 0-for-3 with a pair of walks as the Twins lost 7-4 in the series opener while Tampa Bay extended its winning streak to five and beat Minnesota for the sixth straight time.
The Twins have dropped eight of their last nine games, allowing 60 runs during that span. Justin Morneau has three of his seven homers in his last five contests, including a solo blast Monday. The Rays have received great pitching in winning nine of 10, but leadoff hitter Desmond Jennings has recorded 13 hits and scored nine runs in the last seven games to lead the offense.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports North (Minnesota), SunSports (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Kyle Gibson (1-1, 7.94 ERA) vs. Rays RH Chris Archer (2-3, 4.17)
Gibson was solid in his career debut, allowing two runs over six innings against Kansas City on June 29, before taking a beating from the New York Yankees. The 25-year-old surrendered eight runs in 5 1/3 innings last Thursday versus the Yankees. The 6-6 Gibson, the 22nd overall pick in the 2009 draft, has recorded seven strikeouts and one walk.
Archer has only gone more than six innings once in seven starts, but has yielded three earned runs or fewer in his last six outings. The 24-year-old gave up two runs over six frames last Thursday at Houston, but did not get a decision. Archer has struggled with control at times, walking 21 in 36 2/3 innings, but opponents are batting only .230 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Twins rookie CF Aaron Hicks is 10-for-25 in the last seven games since returning from the disabled list, including a career-high four hits Monday.
2. Tampa Bay 2B Ben Zobrist is 4-for-10 with three RBIs since being named to the All-Star team Saturday. He was 1-for-22 in his previous five games.
3. Minnesota is 7-14 against American League East opponents this season.