ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Corey Dickerson broke through with his most productive game in months, helping the Tampa Bay Rays get a big win.
Dickerson, who led the American League in hitting in late June and then hit .223 over the next 10 weeks, hit his 26th home run and also doubled twice to help the Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 11-4 Monday night to tighten the AL wild-card race.
"If you've played this game long enough and you've succeeded, you know it'll come back sooner or later in a big way," Dickerson said. "I kept believing I'm going to make a big impact soon. I kept saying that to myself and I'm going to continue to say that to myself."
The Twins' lead for the second wild-card spot was trimmed to a half-game over the Angels.
"Starting the (seven-game road) trip, these games are obviously important," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We had to find a way to win this one."
Logan Morrison, who got his 36th homer, and Kevin Kiermaier each added three hits for the Rays. Evan Longoria drove in three runs with a pair of singles.
The Rays, who are three games behind the Twins with 23 left to play, had two four-run innings without the aid of a home run.
"We normally don't do that. We've got to find ways to score runs without the home run, and it's impressive that we were able to do that tonight," observed manager Kevin Cash.
"(Morrison) struck out twice and then he got it going because we extended those innings, passed the at bats around," Dickerson said. "He got hot and he felt really good about himself by the end of the night, and that transcends into tomorrow. That's why it's good to get everybody involved in the game and everybody feeling good."
Alex Cobb (10-9) gave up one run and three hits while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Winning for the first time since July 26, he retired nine in a row before giving up a double to Joe Mauer in the sixth.
Mauer stretched his hitting streak to 13 games. Brian Dozier hit his 28th homer for the Twins.
Jose Berrios (12-7) gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings.
Berrios left the game after Dickerson's RBI double in the sixth made it 3-1.
Kiermaier, hitting .379 in 16 games since coming off the disabled list, drove in two runs with a single later in the inning off reliever Buddy Boshers to put Tampa Bay ahead 6-1.
Max Kepler drove in Minnesota's first run with a single in the second after Byron's Buxton's leadoff single and stolen base. It was Buxton's 20th straight successful steal attempt.
ROOM FOR TWO WILD CARDS
Molitor on the tight wild-card race: "I think Mr. Selig, in creating the second wild card, was hoping for something like this. It's made some more cities able to hang onto some hope through the later stages of the season, but it does make it more difficult for people in front offices to make (buy or sell) decisions."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: 3B Miguel Sano hit off a tee in Minneapolis, his first baseball activity since injuring his left shin on Aug. 19. Said Molitor: "It's getting closer to a day-to-day situation but we're not there yet. He's still got a ways to go." ... C Jason Castro, activated Sunday after missing nine games due to concussion symptoms, will be in the lineup Tuesday night and probably Thursday at Kanaas City, Molitor said.
Rays: RHP Chris Archer, who left Saturday's game in the first inning after only eight pitches, was diagnosed with lateral forearm tightness. He will throw lightly Tuesday. ... SS Matt Duffy, who has yet to play this season following Achilles surgery, took grounders. ... OF Steven Souza Jr. left the game after a home-plate collision in the sixth, but said he would probably play Tuesday.
UP NEXT
RHP Bartolo Colon (6-10) will make his 10th start for the Twins on Tuesday night against Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (7-7), who is coming off his first win in six starts since July 17.
Dickerson, who led the American League in hitting in late June and then hit .223 over the next 10 weeks, hit his 26th home run and also doubled twice to help the Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 11-4 Monday night to tighten the AL wild-card race.
"If you've played this game long enough and you've succeeded, you know it'll come back sooner or later in a big way," Dickerson said. "I kept believing I'm going to make a big impact soon. I kept saying that to myself and I'm going to continue to say that to myself."
The Twins' lead for the second wild-card spot was trimmed to a half-game over the Angels.
"Starting the (seven-game road) trip, these games are obviously important," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We had to find a way to win this one."
Logan Morrison, who got his 36th homer, and Kevin Kiermaier each added three hits for the Rays. Evan Longoria drove in three runs with a pair of singles.
The Rays, who are three games behind the Twins with 23 left to play, had two four-run innings without the aid of a home run.
"We normally don't do that. We've got to find ways to score runs without the home run, and it's impressive that we were able to do that tonight," observed manager Kevin Cash.
"(Morrison) struck out twice and then he got it going because we extended those innings, passed the at bats around," Dickerson said. "He got hot and he felt really good about himself by the end of the night, and that transcends into tomorrow. That's why it's good to get everybody involved in the game and everybody feeling good."
Alex Cobb (10-9) gave up one run and three hits while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Winning for the first time since July 26, he retired nine in a row before giving up a double to Joe Mauer in the sixth.
Mauer stretched his hitting streak to 13 games. Brian Dozier hit his 28th homer for the Twins.
Jose Berrios (12-7) gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings.
Berrios left the game after Dickerson's RBI double in the sixth made it 3-1.
Kiermaier, hitting .379 in 16 games since coming off the disabled list, drove in two runs with a single later in the inning off reliever Buddy Boshers to put Tampa Bay ahead 6-1.
Max Kepler drove in Minnesota's first run with a single in the second after Byron's Buxton's leadoff single and stolen base. It was Buxton's 20th straight successful steal attempt.
ROOM FOR TWO WILD CARDS
Molitor on the tight wild-card race: "I think Mr. Selig, in creating the second wild card, was hoping for something like this. It's made some more cities able to hang onto some hope through the later stages of the season, but it does make it more difficult for people in front offices to make (buy or sell) decisions."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: 3B Miguel Sano hit off a tee in Minneapolis, his first baseball activity since injuring his left shin on Aug. 19. Said Molitor: "It's getting closer to a day-to-day situation but we're not there yet. He's still got a ways to go." ... C Jason Castro, activated Sunday after missing nine games due to concussion symptoms, will be in the lineup Tuesday night and probably Thursday at Kanaas City, Molitor said.
Rays: RHP Chris Archer, who left Saturday's game in the first inning after only eight pitches, was diagnosed with lateral forearm tightness. He will throw lightly Tuesday. ... SS Matt Duffy, who has yet to play this season following Achilles surgery, took grounders. ... OF Steven Souza Jr. left the game after a home-plate collision in the sixth, but said he would probably play Tuesday.
UP NEXT
RHP Bartolo Colon (6-10) will make his 10th start for the Twins on Tuesday night against Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (7-7), who is coming off his first win in six starts since July 17.
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Minnesota - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Cobb pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Dozier grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Mauer struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Polanco walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Rosario popped out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Kiermaier doubled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier to third on passed ball by Garver. | 0 | 0 |
| Duda struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Morrison struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Alex Cobb pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Buxton singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Buxton stole second. | 0 | 0 |
| Kepler singled to right, Buxton scored. | 1 | 0 |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Garver struck out looking. | 1 | 0 |
| Adrianza grounded out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Souza Jr. struck out looking. | 1 | 0 |
| Dickerson homered to center (423 feet). | 1 | 1 |
| Ramos grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 1 |
| Miller flied out to left. | 1 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Alex Cobb pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Dozier walked. | 1 | 1 |
| Mauer grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Dozier out at second. | 1 | 1 |
| Polanco grounded out to third. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Hechavarria struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| Kiermaier reached on infield single to shortstop. | 1 | 1 |
| Duda struck out swinging, Kiermaier stole second. | 1 | 1 |
| Longoria singled to right, Kiermaier scored. | 1 | 2 |
| Morrison struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Alex Cobb pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Rosario grounded out to first. | 1 | 2 |
| Buxton struck out looking. | 1 | 2 |
| Kepler struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Souza Jr. grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| Dickerson doubled to deep left. | 1 | 2 |
| Ramos grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| Miller grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Alex Cobb pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| Garver grounded out to second. | 1 | 2 |
| Adrianza grounded out to second. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Hechavarria hit by pitch. | 1 | 2 |
| Kiermaier fouled out to left. | 1 | 2 |
| Duda struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| Longoria grounded out to third. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Alex Cobb pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Dozier struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| Mauer doubled to deep center. | 1 | 2 |
| Polanco grounded out to shortstop, Mauer to third. | 1 | 2 |
| Jennings relieved Cobb. | 1 | 2 |
| Rosario grounded out to second. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Morrison singled to center. | 1 | 2 |
| Souza Jr. walked, Morrison to second. | 1 | 2 |
| Dickerson doubled to right center, Morrison scored, Souza Jr. to third. | 1 | 3 |
| Pressly relieved Berríos. | 1 | 3 |
| Ramos struck out swinging. | 1 | 3 |
| Miller intentionally walked. | 1 | 3 |
| Hechavarria hit sacrifice fly to center, Souza Jr. scored, Dickerson to third, Miller to second. | 1 | 4 |
| Boshers relieved Pressly. | 1 | 4 |
| Kiermaier singled to center, Dickerson and Miller scored. | 1 | 6 |
| Duda fouled out to catcher. | 1 | 6 |
| 4 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Steve Cishek pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Bourjos in right field. | 1 | 6 |
| Cishek relieved Jennings. | 1 | 6 |
| Buxton grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 6 |
| Kepler grounded out to second. | 1 | 6 |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 1 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| John Curtiss pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Curtiss relieved Boshers. | 1 | 6 |
| Longoria flied out to right. | 1 | 6 |
| Morrison homered to left center (373 feet). | 1 | 7 |
| Bourjos struck out swinging. | 1 | 7 |
| Dickerson struck out swinging. | 1 | 7 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Andrew Kittredge pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Kittredge relieved Cishek. | 1 | 7 |
| Garver safe at first on error by first baseman Morrison. | 1 | 7 |
| Adrianza grounded into fielder's choice to first, Garver out at second. | 1 | 7 |
| Dozier homered to left center (377 feet), Adrianza scored. | 3 | 7 |
| Mauer flied out to left. | 3 | 7 |
| Polanco walked. | 3 | 7 |
| Rosario flied out to center. | 3 | 7 |
| 2 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| John Curtiss pitching for Minnesota | MIN | TB |
| Ramos singled to left. | 3 | 7 |
| Perkins relieved Curtiss. | 3 | 7 |
| Miller walked, Ramos to second. | 3 | 7 |
| Hechavarria walked, Ramos to third, Miller to second. | 3 | 7 |
| Kiermaier grounded into fielder's choice to second, Ramos out at home, Miller to third, Hechavarria to second. | 3 | 7 |
| Plouffe hit for Duda. | 3 | 7 |
| Duffey relieved Perkins. | 3 | 7 |
| Plouffe singled to right, Miller scored, Hechavarria to third, Kiermaier to second. | 3 | 8 |
| Longoria singled to shallow center, Hechavarria and Kiermaier scored, Plouffe to third. | 3 | 10 |
| Morrison singled to right, Plouffe scored, Longoria to second. | 3 | 11 |
| Bourjos grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Morrison out at second. | 3 | 11 |
| 4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Ryne Stanek pitching for Tampa Bay | MIN | TB |
| Stanek relieved Kittredge. | 3 | 11 |
| Buxton walked. | 3 | 11 |
| Buxton to second on wild pitch by Stanek. | 3 | 11 |
| Kepler struck out swinging. | 3 | 11 |
| Castro hit for Escobar. | 3 | 11 |
| Castro struck out swinging. | 3 | 11 |
| Vargas hit for Garver. | 3 | 11 |
| Vargas singled to center, Buxton scored. | 4 | 11 |
| Adrianza struck out swinging. | 4 | 11 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota Twins | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Dozier 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | .264 | .353 | .484 |
| Mauer 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | .302 | .382 | .416 |
| Polanco DH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | .256 | .307 | .412 |
| Rosario LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .285 | .324 | .491 |
| Buxton CF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .258 | .322 | .417 |
| Kepler RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .248 | .318 | .436 |
| Escobar 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .251 | .310 | .426 |
a-Castro PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .228 | .327 | .369 |
| Garver C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .219 | .342 | .375 |
b-Vargas PH
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .245 | .303 | .420 |
| Adrianza SS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | .254 | .324 | .357 |
| Totals | 32 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 164 | |||
| a-struck out swinging for E Escobar in the 9th b-singled to center for M Garver in the 9th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Mauer (30, Cobb) HR: Dozier (28, 8th inning off Kittredge 1 on, 1 Out) RBI: Kepler (62), Dozier 2 (79), Vargas (36) 2-out RBI: Vargas GIDP: Mauer Twins RISP: 2-6 (Kepler 1-2, Rosario 0-1, Vargas 1-1, Castro 0-1, Polanco 0-1) Team LOB: 5 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Buxton (25, 2nd base off Cobb/Ramos) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 1 (Adrianza-Dozier-Mauer). PB: Garver. | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL |
| Attendance | 12,108 (39% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:23 |
| Weather | indoors |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Bill Welke, First Base - Eric Cooper, Second Base - Adrian Johnson, Third Base - Gabe Morales |
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