MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tristan Gray hit his first career grand slam to cap a seven-run seventh inning for the Minnesota Twins in a cold and rainy 10-4 home-opener victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
Gray’s one-out line drive off a 1-1 cutter from Yeondrys Gómez was just high enough to clear the 23-foot wall in right field, after Kevin Kelly (0-1) finished a rough relief appearance with consecutive bases-loaded walks.
Josh Bell had two hits and two RBIs for the Twins, including the tiebreaking single in the seventh. Kelly started that inning by hitting Byron Buxton in the right forearm with a pitch, forcing the All-Star center fielder out of the game. The Twins announced X-rays showed no fracture.
Gray, who also had a sacrifice fly, grabbed the last available roster spot on opening day as a backup infielder. He homered three times in 30 games for the Rays last season.
After a soggy afternoon and a downtown power outage, the game started an hour late with a first-pitch temperature of 38 degrees and finished in hard rain.
With Joe Boyle at 6-foot-8 for the Rays and Bailey Ober at 6-foot-9 for the Twins, the starting pitchers would have made quite a frontcourt matchup in a pickup basketball game. The duel on the mound was so-so.
Ober lasted four innings for the second straight start, falling behind after a two-out, two-run single by Nick Fortes in the first and a two-out, run-scoring double by Ben Williamson in the fourth.
Boyle had nine strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings, but Williamson flubbed a tailor-made double-play grounder to shortstop that would’ve preserved a 3-1 lead to end the fourth. The Rays made three errors and lead the with 10, six by third baseman Junior Caminero.
Kody Funderburk (1-1) got the final out in the top of the seventh to earn the win.
Up next
LHP Steven Matz starts for Tampa Bay on Saturday against Minnesota RHP Mick Abel.
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