PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — It takes a lot to steal the attention away from Carlos Correa's first spring home run as a Twin, but Jharel Cotton, Yennier Cano and Jhoan Duran may have accomplished it.
Carlos Correa homers, but Twins fall to Tampa Bay 4-2
Strong performances from three relievers gave manager Rocco Baldelli optimism about his bullpen.
March 29, 2022 at 7:49PM
Nine consecutive strikeouts will do that.
"They did exactly what you were hoping to see late in the game," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said after that trio of pitchers battling for spots in the bullpen each whiffed all three Rays hitters they faced in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Tampa Bay still won, 4-2 at Charlotte Sports Park, but the Twins came away with some optimism about their young relievers.
"They threw the ball really, really well, [and] missed a lot of bats," Baldelli said.
Brooks Raley didn't miss Correa's bat in the fourth inning. He left a fastball in the middle of the strike zone in the fourth inning, and he watched it land on the boardwalk beyond the left-field fence.
The home run was impressive — but not decisive. Manuel Margot homered for the Rays, Yandy Diaz contributed a pair of RBI singles, and Tampa Bay beat the Twins for the first time in three Grapefruit League games.
Bailey Ober allowed four hits and two runs over three-plus innings, walking three. "I can't remember the last time I did that," said Ober, who has walked three hitters only once in his major-league career. "I'm not happy about it, but the zone was a little tight today."
With the scored tied 2-2, bullpen candidate Trevor Megill gave up two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to take the loss.
The Twins face Pittsburgh on Wednesday in Fort Myers, with rookie Josh Winder starting for Minnesota.
The speculation surrounding shortstop Carlos Correa’s availability in a trade was overblown this week, Twins officials indicated at the winter meetings in Dallas.
