ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Edouard Julien hit a three-run homer, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Thursday in a game with a 13-minute interruption largely caused by a video review.
With Tampa Bay trailing 4-2 in the seventh inning and Jonny DeLuca on third, Yandy Díaz sliced a drive toward the right-field corner, Matt Wallner gloved the ball on two hops as DeLuca scored, and Wallner’s momentum carried him over the low wall and into a camera well.
Umpires held a crew chief review that took about nine minutes and determined Díaz should be placed on second base.
“If the guy has possession of the ball going into the stands, it’s one base. If he doesn’t have possession of it, it can be two bases,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “So he had possession of it. … I’m confident that they got the call right.”
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli then brought in reliever Griffin Jax to replace Pablo López (14-8). Jax retired Brandon Lowe on a groundout.
“It was the difference between a man being on second and third. When you’re on third you can score on a wild pitch, you can find a way to score,” said Díaz, who had two of the Rays’ eight hits.
López gave up three runs and seven hits, struck out nine and walked one. His scoreless streak reached 23 1/3 innings before Junior Caminero’s two-run single in the third.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” López said of the long video review. “The Jumbotron said the play is under review, and the umpire said it was about the rules of the ballpark and they were trying to get everything right. I wasn’t happy that it took that long and may have cost me (the completion of the inning).”
Jhoan Durán struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 22nd save in 24 chances as the Twins gained a four-game split.
Minnesota (76-64) moved a half-game ahead of idle Kansas City (76-65) for the AL’s second wild card.
Eight of the last nine games between the teams have been decided by one run.
Julien homered in the second inning on a first-pitch splitter from Taj Bradley (6-10) and Wallner in the third on a 2-0 fastball.
Bradley allowed six hits in seven innings, struck out 10 and walked one. He is 0-6 in seven starts since winning at Toronto on July 25.
He gave up one hit in 4 2/3 innings after the homers. His seven innings matched a career high.
“You kind of get angry after something like that,” he said. “I just concentrated on not letting those runs beat me. I feel like that’s what’s been happening; I’d come out early because of the big inning. I was just trying to eliminate that.”
Before the game, the Rays recalled infielder Austin Shenton from Durham, selected the contract of left-hander Mason Montgomery from the Triple-A affiliate, optioned left-hander Tyler Alexander to the Bulls and designated catcher Alex Jackson for assignment.
Montgomery made his major league debut with a hitless eighth inning that included a walk.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: OF Max Kepler (left patellar tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day injured list and OF DaShawn Keirsey Jr.’s contract was selected from Triple-A St. Paul, Keirsey made his major league debut in the eighth inning in center field. … OF Byron Buxton’s recovery has been hampered by continued discomfort in his right hip, according to manager Rocco Baldelli reported. Buxton played briefly before being ejected from his first rehab game Wednesday night.
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Zerby Matthews (1-2, 7.41) will make his fifth career start of his career Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Kansas City.
Rays: RHP Shane Baz (2-2, 3.49) will try to win his third straight start Friday night at Baltimore.
