Twins rally to beat Rays 7-6 on Santana’s pinch-hit single in 9th and push win streak to 6

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Carlos Santana came through in the clutch for the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, delivering a pinch-hit single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel them past the Tampa Bay Rays with a 7-6 victory. Santana’s timely hit off Phil Maton scored Manny Margot, securing the Twins’ sixth consecutive win and their eighth in nine games.

Earlier in the game, the Rays had taken an early lead with Randy Arozarena’s three-run homer off Twins starter Pablo López in the first inning. However, the Twins fought back, highlighted by Max Kepler’s home run and Ryan Jeffers’ sacrifice fly that tied the game in the fifth inning after a rain delay.

The back-and-forth continued as Brandon Lowe and Josh Lowe each homered for the Rays in the fifth inning, briefly reclaiming the lead until Willi Castro’s three-run double in the fourth inning sparked a comeback for the Twins. The game was interrupted by rain again in the eighth inning, but play resumed as the Twins mounted their rally.

Jhoan Duran picked up the win for the Twins with a solid ninth inning, while López struggled through his start, allowing several key hits including Arozarena’s early homer and Brandon Lowe’s tiebreaking shot in the fifth.

The victory sets up an intriguing matchup for the next game, with Rays’ pitcher Taj Bradley facing off against Twins’ Joe Ryan on Wednesday night.