Yandy Diaz belted a two-run homer to highlight a four-run third inning, helping the Tampa Bay Rays complete a three-game series sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 4-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Chandler Simpson went 3-for-4 with a stolen base and a run and Jonathan Aranda joined Diaz with two RBIs to pace Tampa Bay to its fourth straight victory.
Jesse Scholtens (2-1), who relieved opener Griffin Jax with one out in the third, allowed two runs on three hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
Jax permitted one hit and walked one while striking out two during 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Cole Sulser struck out two and allowed one hit in 1 1/3 innings of relief before turning it over to Bryan Baker, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his sixth save.
Brooks Lee hit a two-run homer for Minnesota, which lost its fifth straight game and fell to 1-9 over its last 10 games. The Twins have been outscored, 29-15, during their losing streak.
Simeon Woods Richardson (0-4) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
Tampa Bay parlayed four hits into a 4-0 lead in the third inning.
Hunter Feduccia led off with a broken-bat infield single, advanced to second on a throwing error by Woods Richardson and took third on a single by Simpson, who then stole second.
One out later, Aranda singled to center to drive in both Feduccia and Simpson. Diaz followed with his fourth home run of the season, a 359-foot opposite-field drive into the right field bleachers.
Minnesota trimmed the lead to 4-2 in the seventh inning. James Outman lined a two-out double into the right-field corner and Lee followed with his fifth home run, a 333-foot drive that landed near the bottom of the foul pole.
