July isn’t the Twins month.
Or maybe 2013 just isn’t the Twins year.
Another loss to Tampa Bay today, as the Rays completed a four-game sweep of Minnesota with a 4-3 win over the Twins.
Rays ace Matt Moore is now tied with Detroit’s undefeated phenom Max Scherzer for the American League lead with 13 wins after picking up his fifth straight victory today.
Moore no-hit the Twins thru 5 2/3 innings before Brian Dozier broke up the no-no with a double down the left field line. Jamey Carroll then knocked in Dozier on a liner up the middle, tying the game at one.
Mike Pelfrey also pitched well until the sixth, but Tampa answered the Twins run in the top half of the inning with back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the inning to Luke Scott and superstar third baseman Evan Longoria.
Pelfrey made it thru the sixth after giving up a one out double following the homers, but he picked up the loss, now 4-7 on the year.
The closest the Twins got was in the eighth when they added two more on a Joe Mauer single, but stranded runners on first and second when Trevor Plouffe struckout swinging.
One bright spot for Minnesota was Michael Tonkin, who made his major league debut with two out in the seventh by strike out Longoria, then retiring the Rays in order in the eighth.
Rather than Fernando Rodney, who had pitched three days in a row, Jake Mcgee came on for the save, his first of the year.
Tampa has now won 12 of their last 13 games, Minnesota falls 15 games below .500 and has lost 11 of their last 12.
The Twins travel up the coast to face the Yankees, who swept Minnesota in a four-game series last week. It is the last series before the All-Star Game, starting at 6:05 tomorrow night.
