Tampa Bay Rays prevail 6-2 over Minnesota Twins – MLB Update
Tampa Bay Rays showed great composure, fighting spirit and mental toughness to prevail 6-2 at the Tropicana Field in St, Petersburg, Florida in the finale of their three match series with Minnesota Twins.
For the Rays, Desmond Jennings put up a fine show as he drove in three runs as the Rays had record four sacrifice flys.
Francisco Liriano had a horrible time on the mound as he allowed five runs, three hits and four walks in five innings. The left handed starter has given up 22 runs, 13 walks and 25 hits since the start of this season and he will be looking to turn things around on his next opportunity.
"I haven't talked to anybody, but whatever it is, if it's going to help me I'm going to do it," Liriano said. "They've given me a chance to go out and start, but I haven't done my job. So whatever they're going to do, it's OK with me."
"As soon as a couple things happened out there, he started misfiring," Twins’ Manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Quit attacking the zone. I think he gets away from wanting to throw his fastball, and that's his bread and butter. He pitches off the fastball."
Rays had made a forgettable start to the series losing the opening game 4-5. However, since then they have improved their game play significantly. Joe Maddon and company fought hard for every score in the second game to level the series. A comfortable 6-2 win in third and final game will certainly help boost their confidence going into the month of May.
Tampa Bay now have a decent 9-7 win-loss record and they have won five out of six home games this season. However, the biggest challenge for them will be to give consistent results in the games away from their home comfort. It will be interesting to see if Tampa Bay can produce similar performances in their upcoming games to change the course of their destiny.
With just five wins in 16 games this season, the Twins have failed to cope with the pressure of performing. They will be eager to perform well in their upcoming Major League Baseball games to lift their spirits.
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