Rays Shut Out Twins 5-0 Behind Rasmussen’s Gem, Homers from Lowe and Caminero

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero each launched home runs in the fourth inning, and Drew Rasmussen delivered a dominant one-hit, six-inning performance as the Tampa Bay Rays blanked the Minnesota Twins 5-0 on Wednesday afternoon.

Lowe kicked off the fourth with his 11th homer of the season. Caminero followed later in the inning with his 10th, a two-run blast that brought home Jonathan Aranda. Aranda also chipped in with an RBI single, and the Rays tacked on another run thanks to a balk. Lowe, Caminero, and Aranda all notched two hits apiece. Chandler Simpson swiped two bases, pushing his season total to 16.

Rasmussen (4-4) was nearly untouchable, yielding only a leadoff single to his former Oregon State teammate Trevor Larnach. He walked one, hit another, and struck out five, marking his third consecutive scoreless outing of six innings. Tampa Bay’s bullpen — Edwin Uceta, Mason Montgomery, and Connor Seabold — shut the door to secure the team’s fifth shutout of the year.

The Rays wrapped up their nine-game homestand with a 7-2 record.

Twins starter Pablo López (4-3) struggled, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks across four innings. He fanned three in the loss, his first in five starts this month. Prior to this game, he had only surrendered three home runs all season.

Minnesota managed just six singles on the day, one of which was the first MLB hit for 27-year-old rookie Carson McCusker. The Twins showed signs of life in the seventh, collecting back-to-back singles off Uceta, but the inning ended dramatically when Josh Lowe made a leaping catch at the right-field wall to rob Royce Lewis.

Brandon Lowe extended his hitting streak to 11 games — one shy of his career high — going 16-for-39 (.410) with four home runs and six RBIs during the run.

Up Next:
The Rays hit the road to face the Houston Astros on Thursday, with Shane Baz (4-3, 4.94 ERA) set to take the mound. The Astros have yet to announce their starter. Meanwhile, the Twins head to Seattle to begin a weekend series Friday, sending Zebby Matthews (0-1, 7.71 ERA) against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo (5-2, 2.40 ERA).