Rays 4, Twins 3 (13)
Ben Zobrist singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning as host Tampa Bay extended its winning streak to a season-high seven games.
Yunel Escobar singled with one out and moved to second on an errant pick-off attempt by Ryan Pressly before scoring on Zobrist’s line drive to right-center field. Kelly Johnson recorded two hits, including a two-run homer, and Cesar Ramos (2-2) retired two batters in the 13th to earn the victory.
Ryan Doumit and Joe Mauer registered three hits apiece while Pedro Florimon slammed a two-run homer for the Twins, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games. Pressly (2-1), the seventh Minnesota pitcher, gave up a run on two hits in one inning of work.
Escobar’s sacrifice fly in the second inning gave the Rays the lead before Florimon belted an 0-1 pitch into the right-center field seats in the third to put the Twins in front 2-1. Aaron Hicks led off the fifth with a double and scored on Clete Thomas’ two-out single to extend Minnesota’s lead.
The Rays tied it in the sixth, as James Loney singled before Johnson drilled a 3-1 offering over the right-field wall for his fifth career homer off Minnesota starter Kevin Correia. Wil Myers singled with two outs in the 10th for the Rays, but Hicks made a leaping catch against the wall in center on Johnson’s drive that could have ended the game.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Correia allowed three runs on five hits and five walks over 5 1/3 innings,while Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson yielded three runs on six hits over six frames with eight strikeouts. … Minnesota 1B Justin Morneau singled in the ninth for his 1,276th career hit, tying him with Gary Gaetti for seventh on the club’s all-time list. … Tampa Bay struck out a season-high 19 batters and Minnesota whiffed a season-best 16 as both teams used seven pitchers. It’s also the most strikeouts for the Rays at home in franchise history.