Josh Lowe's First MLB Homer Helps Rays Pound Twins, 6-1

Lowe said having some experience against Bundy in spring training helped, and he was fastball hunting on the first pitch. He also loved being able to celebrate with his teammates.

“I faced him before in spring training and I know he likes to get ahead with a fastball, so I was going up there getting ready to hit, and I got a good pitch to hit,'' Lowe said. “Yeah, it’s awesome. This team is special. Not only is it a good ball team, but there are a lot of good humans and individuals who walk through those doors every day. It’s not just teammates, we’re all brothers here.''

Rays manager Kevin Cash had Lowe hitting fourth in the lineup, and in the dugout before his at-bat, he told his 24-year-old rookie from Marietta, Ga., ''to not embarrass me'' for hitting him cleanup.

“He told me that, and I’m like ‘oh boy, here we go,’ '' Lowe said. "I came up to the challenge, and that was awesome. “He said it in the dugout, so that was some good assurance there from skip. That was fun.'' 

The Rays added a run in the second when Taylor Walls walked to lead off the inning, stole second and scored two batters later on a Yandy Diaz single.

 And then Zunino, who was hitting .083 so far and had just three hits all year, homered to left field in the third. Those three stars were a combined 25-for-180 — a cumulative .139 average — before their Friday night heroics.

 "I felt like a few games coming into this one, I've hit the ball hard but didn't have any outcome from it,'' said Zunino, who hit a career-high 33 home runs last year. ''You've just got to continue to stay the course and have good at-bats because it's a long year. But I can build off that, too.''

Corey Kluber was terrific in his fourth start for the Rays. He allowed just one hit and one run through six innings, pounding the strike zone with all of his pitches, and getting lots of swing-and-misses and soft contact off of his changeup. He was perfect through three innings, allowed a run in the fourth, and got through six innings with just 71 pitches. 

Javy Guerra pitched a scoreless seventh and Phoenix Sanders threw the final two innings, allowing just one base hit. It was the sixth straight game where the Rays' pitching staff has allowed two runs or less.

Kluber was pleased with his outing, especially since he had given up 11 hits in a loss to Boston last Friday. He always likes to throw strikes and stay ahead of hitters anyway, but getting a four-run cushion in the first inning helped a lot, too, he said.

"I had a good feel for (the change-up), and I kind of rode it,'' Kluber said. "The quicker I can establish all of my pitches and keep hitters off balance, I think that benefits me. 

"For sure. Any time you can get run support early, especially four in the first four hitters, that's a huge lift, not only for the pitcher but the entire team because then you can really attack the strike zone. It's always a priority, but that kind of cushion puts the other team on the defensive a little more, so you can just go out there and pounce on them the best you can.''

The Rays are now 12-8 on the season, and are 5-2 on this homestand so far. The Twins are now 11-9, and had a seven-game winning streak snapped.

Saturday should be fun. The Twins will start popular former Rays pitcher Chris Archer in the second game of the series. Archer, who pitched eight seasons for the Rays, will square off with Tampa Bay's new ace, lefty Shane McClanahan. They were teammates a year ago. The game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET.