Twins, buoyed by walk-off homer, chase series win over Rays

The Minnesota Twins hope that one swing can propel them to a series win.

The Twins will square off against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis for the second installment of a three-game series. Minnesota is coming off a 4-3 win in the series opener thanks to a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth by Harrison Bader on Friday.

The solo shot gave the Twins a win in the opener of a nine-game homestand.

“We needed that as a team,” Twins right-hander Chris Paddack said. “Comeback win. Walk-off homer by Bader. At home. Fourth of July. Just the energy change in that clubhouse over the last week versus today was night-and-day different.

“So hopefully we can take that energy into the next couple games against Tampa, and hopefully the remainder of the homestand before we get rolling for the second half of the season.”

The Rays, meanwhile, will try to snap a cold spell that has led to four losses in the past five games.

Tampa Bay also was anxiously awaiting word about the status of Ha-Seong Kim, who made his team debut on Friday but left the game because of a right calf injury. He came out after going 1-for-3.

Kim, who missed the season’s first three months while recovering from offseason surgery on his right shoulder, did not believe the latest injury would sideline him long term.

“I think we’ll need to re-evaluate (Saturday),” Kim said. “But I don’t think it should be a big problem. I didn’t feel anything in my calf until I started running to third base. Let’s just see (Saturday).”

Rays manager Kevin Cash also took an optimistic tone.

“I hope (he is OK). We’ll just see,” Cash said. “It’s kind of day-to-day. Check on him through the night and then (Saturday).”

The Twins are seeking their first set of back-to-back victories since winning three in a row from June 25-27. Before scoring four runs on Friday, they scored a total of three runs in their previous four games.

Bader hopes his blast will mark a turning point.

“You genuinely have to believe you’re always one pitch away or one swing away or one diving play away from making the tides turned,” Bader said. “When you have a lot of guys reinforcing that and who care and who want to win just like you, good things happen.

“You truly do become one swing, one pitch away.”

Rays right-hander Taj Bradley (5-6, 4.79 ERA) will try to even the series when he takes the mound on Saturday. He is hoping to bounce back from a loss on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, who tagged him for five runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Bradley has faced Minnesota four times in his career, going 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA. He took a loss against the visiting Twins on May 27, when he permitted three runs (two earned) on five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one.

The Twins had not announced a starter for Saturday. Minnesota must reshuffle its rotation after placing right-hander Bailey Ober on the injured list on Wednesday because of a left hip impingement.

–Field Level Media