Richie Palacios clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in the 10th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays claimed their first series this season Sunday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.
On the second pitch from Justin Topa (0-1), Palacios, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, belted his first home run deep to right to score Ben Williamson, who started the 10th on second base.
Junior Caminero, who hit a solo homer, later drove in a run with a walk. Kevin Kelly earned his second save in relief of Bryan Baker (1-0), who pitched a perfect ninth with two whiffs.
In his second straight quality start, the Rays’ Nick Martinez yielded just a solo shot — the only hit against the right-hander — in six innings. He fanned four with a walk.
Matt Wallner went deep for the Twins, who managed just three hits in their second straight setback.
Simeon Woods Richardson allowed five hits and one run on a solo homer in 6 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks.
Wallner opened the game’s scoring in the second inning by jumping on a 1-0 cutter from Martinez and lobbing a 409-foot shot down the right field line for a 1-0 lead.
Fooled on a previous splitter from Woods Richardson, Caminero golfed the next offering, also a splitter but well below the strike zone, out to left for his first homer and first RBI of the season to even the game in the fourth.
The visitors threatened in the fifth after Palacios, who walked, advanced to third on a two-out single by Hunter Feduccia.
Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, who wanted an 0-2 pitch up and out of the zone against Yandy Diaz, got a low fastball from his pitcher that was called a ball. The catcher used an ABS challenge to overturn it and end the inning.
In the seventh, singles by Ben Williamson and Palacios, who stole second, forced Woods Richardson to bear down. He struck out Jonny Deluca before reliever Kody Funderburk got a weak groundout from Nick Fortes to keep it tied 1-all.
