Twins Fall to Rays 7-2 in Road Trip Opener

The Minnesota Twins kicked off their 10-game road trip on Monday night, suffering a 7-2 defeat against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Jonathan Aranda's three-run homer and Danny Jansen's two-run blast propelled the Rays to their sixth consecutive victory. Aranda broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning, launching a 1-2 pitch from Minnesota reliever Brock Stewart 365 feet into right field, giving Tampa Bay a commanding 3-0 lead.

Twins starter Chris Paddock had a solid outing, navigating through five innings before exiting in the sixth after allowing a single to Brandon Lowe and a double to Junior Caminero. Paddock (2-5) finished with two runs allowed on five hits over 5 1/3 innings.

In a pivotal moment, Zack Littell (4-5) dominated for six innings, yielding only three hits and no runs. However, he hit Ty France with his 72nd pitch, leading to his exit. Carlos Correa capitalized on the opportunity, hitting a two-run homer off reliever Garrett Cleavinger, narrowing the gap to 3-2.

But the Twins' hopes were dashed in the eighth inning. Kody Funderburk, the only left-handed reliever for Minnesota, entered with one out and the bases empty. He allowed back-to-back singles to Aranda and Curtis Mead, setting the stage for José Caballero's two-out, two-run double. Jansen then added his fourth homer of the season, extending the Rays' lead to 7-2.

Brandon Lowe continued his impressive form for Tampa Bay (27-26), going 2 for 4 and extending his hitting streak to nine games. Curtis Mead also contributed, hitting in eight straight games after finishing 1 for 4.

Despite the loss, Minnesota (29-24) has performed well recently, boasting a record of 16-4 over their last 20 games. The Twins will look to bounce back as RHP Joe Ryan (4-2, 2.68) takes the mound on Tuesday against Rays RHP Taj Bradley (4-3, 4.61).

With this victory, Tampa Bay improved their home record to 17-18, continuing their push for a stronger season.