ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Yandy Díaz hit one of Tampa Bay’s franchise record-tying six homers and drove in four runs, Wander Franco extended his on-base streak to 34 games and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 11-4 on Saturday.
Díaz had an RBI single in the first inning and a three-run homer off Andrew Albers during a five-run second as the Rays went up 7-0.
Franco broke a tie with Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Arky Vaughan for the third-longest streak by a player under 21 on his first-inning RBI single.
The 20-year-old Franco played after clearing MLB concussion protocols. He left Thursday’s game against Boston with a headache and sat out Friday night’s game with the Twins.
Jordan Luplow, Manuel Margot, Randy Arozarena, Nelson Cruz and Brandon Lowe also homered for Rays, who increased their division lead over the New York Yankees to 7 ½ games.
Chris Archer (1-1) allowed four runs and four hits over five innings in his third start after missing four months with forearm tightness. It was his first win since June 6, 2019, with Pittsburgh.
Minnesota got homers from Miguel Sanó and Jorge Polanco, who came within a triple of hitting for the cycle.
Albers (1-1) allowed nine runs and 10 hits, including four homers, over three innings in his second start since Sept. 30, 2017.
Sanó left in the fifth with a bruised left shoulder, one inning after colliding along the first-base line with Tampa Bay’s Mike Zunino, who had popped up.
Polanco has 26 homers and is three away from tying the Twins single-season total for a switch-hitter set by Chili Davis in 1991.
Arozarena singled with two outs in the second, went to third on Franco’s double and scored when Albers was called for a balk.
After a lengthy discussion between Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and the umpiring crew, Cruz was intentionally walked after Albers threw a pitch that landed in front of the plate. Díaz and Luplow followed with consecutive homers.
The Rays homered twice in the second, third and fourth innings. Cruz hit his 444th career homer, and first since Aug. 17, in the fourth off Ian Gibaut.
Arozarena, who came within a double of hitting for the cycle, was OK after getting hit on the side of the helmet by Gibaut’s 84 mph changeup in the fifth.
Dietrich Enns went the final three innings to get his first career save.
PREGAME SPLASH
Olympic swimmer Bobby Finke, who won the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle races at this year’s Tokyo games, threw a ceremonial first pitch.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: Baldelli said C Mitch Garver (back) is working his way through some things and will not come off the IL in the next few days. … OF Trevor Larnach (bruised left hand) was put on the IL by Triple-A St. Paul.
Rays: OF Brett Phillips (ankle) and 1B Ji-Man Choi (hamstring) played with the rookie-level FCL Rays.
UP NEXT
Twins RHP Griffin Jax (3-3) and Tampa Bay RHP Luis Patiño (4-3) are Sunday’s starters.
