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Tuesday, Aug. 22 8:05pm ET
Two bad pitches cost Twins | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Fred McGriff found the cure for his power loss: The Minnesota Twins. "I was just trying to be aggressive, and fortunately it worked," McGriff said after homering Tuesday night in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' 3-2 victory. McGriff's homer, which came in the fourth inning, was just his second in 116 at-bats. The other was on Aug. 9 against Minnesota's Eric Milton. "Their guy was throwing the ball well all night long, but he hung me a curve or something and I got a hit on it," McGriff said. McGriff has 21 homers this season, 411 in his career. It was his first homer on the road since July 9. Bobby Smith also homered as the Devil Rays won their third straight, winning consecutive games against left-handed starters for the first time since the team began play in 1998. Ryan Rupe (5-4) struck out eight in a season-high seven innings, giving up four hits. Billy Taylor got three outs on four pitches in the eighth, and Roberto Hernandez got three outs to finish the five-hitter. It was the 24th save in 30 chances for Hernandez, who allowed Matt Lawton's leadoff homer in the ninth. "Statistically, that was my best outing," said Rupe, recalled from Triple-A Durham on July 9. "I don't think that I threw my best stuff, but I worked with it really well." Twins starter J.C. Romero (2-3) gave up four hits in 7 1/3 innings, but two of the hits were home runs. "I left the ball up only a couple times, but paid for it," Romero said. "Basically, I was pleased with my outing, but at this level, you're not allowed to make mistakes." Smith hit his fifth homer of the season in the second inning, and Tampa Bay increased its lead in the fourth, helping by an error from second baseman Jay Canizaro. Greg Vaughn led off with a grounder to second and reached when Canizaro's throw pulled Ron Coomer off first. McGriff then homered. David Ortiz's homer in the fourth homer cut Tampa Bay's lead to 3-1. "Ortiz hit (Rupe) well, but nobody was on base for him," Lawton said. Game notesWhen the Devil Rays opened the season in Minnesota, only 11 of the 25 players on their current active roster were with the team. ... Tampa Bay 2B Miguel Cairo, who didn't start Tuesday's game, is leading the major leagues in hitting with runners in scoring position with a .419 batting average. ... The Twins signed C Joey Hamer, their 25th-round draft pick. They have signed 27 of 52 picks. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Tampa Bay Clubhouse Minnesota Clubhouse RECAPS Anaheim 11 Boston 4
Tampa Bay 3
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