MINNEAPOLIS — Jeffrey Springs threw a two-hit ball into the sixth inning, Randy Arozarena stole two bases after twice getting hit by pitches and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 6-0 Sunday.
Springs (3-2) continued his impressive transition to the starting rotation. He struck out five and walked two in 5 1/3 innings against a Twins team that had scored a combined 15 runs in winning the first two games of the series.
Arozarena was hit by a pair of pitches twice and was visibly upset with Minnesota starter Cole Sands. Arozarena then stole two bases and added an RBI double.
Kevin Kiermaier hit a solo home run.
Sands (0-3) struggled again, giving up five runs in 4 2/3 innings. He’s surrendered 13 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings in his first three career starts.
The Twins had opened a six-game homestand by sending the New York Yankees' Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole each to season highs in runs allowed and then did the same Friday against Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen.
Minnesota followed with five runs in 2 1/3 against Shane Baz, Tampa Bay’s top pitching prospect, on Saturday in his 2022 debut. The Twins scored 57 runs in their previous eight games.
Springs, making his eighth start this season, kept the Twins off-balance throughout. No runner even reached second base, but a walk to Carlos Correa with one out in the sixth ended Springs’ day with a career-high 94 pitches.
The left-hander is now 2-2 as a starter this season and has given up eight runs in 39 1/3 innings for a 1.85 ERA. Springs has made 108 relief appearances in his five-year career.
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