Tampa Bay notches first 2026 series win: Rays 4 Twins 1
The Rays beat the Twins today 4-1, and won their first series of the season. This was a quintessential pitcher’s duel, with both starters pitching at least six strong innings. Nick Martinez, making his second start as a Ray, was especially impressive.
He gave up one hit – of course it happened to be a […]
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 5: Richie Palacios #1 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates a go-ahead two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the tenth inning at Target Field on April 5, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Rays beat the Twins today 4-1, and won their first series of the season. This was a quintessential pitcher’s duel, with both starters pitching at least six strong innings.
Nick Martinez, making his second start as a Ray, was especially impressive. He gave up one hit – of course it happened to be a booming home run to Matt Wallner — and walked just one batter. He struck out four, relying on weak contact to get his outs.
So it was fortunate that today was also a day when the Rays infield avoided costly errors, and in fact I’d say they looked pretty sharp. Junior Caminero, whose fielding has been atrocious over these first 10 days, made all his routine plays and even a few tough ones. (He and Chandler Simpson did nearly collide while letting a foul ball drop in the tenth inning, but fortunately it did not lead to damage.