BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (Interstat) — A grand slam from shortstop Tristan Gray transformed a tense, one-run affair into a decisive rout, powering the Minnesota Twins to a 10-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday afternoon at Target Field.

The Twins, trailing 4-3, erupted for seven runs in a chaotic bottom of the seventh inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and capitalizing on critical Rays mistakes before Gray delivered the crushing blow. The victory improved Minnesota to 3-4 on the young season, while Tampa Bay fell to 2-5.

For six innings, the game was a story of missed opportunities and strong starting pitching from Tampa Bay’s Joe Boyle. The Rays struck quickly against Twins starter Bailey Ober, scoring two in the first on a two-run double by Nick Fortes that plated Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero. They added another in the fourth on an RBI double from Ben Williamson.

Boyle largely stifled the Twins lineup, striking out nine over 5 1/3 innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits. Minnesota scratched across three runs in the fourth, aided by a fielding error from Rays shortstop Carson Williams that allowed the tying run to score. A sacrifice fly from Gray cut the deficit to 4-3, a score that held into the late innings as both bullpens navigated threats.

The game’s complexion shattered in the seventh. With Kevin Kelly on the mound for Tampa Bay, Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch and Luke Keaschall singled. After a strikeout, Josh Bell lined an RBI single to center, tying the game at 4-4. The inning then unraveled for the Rays. A fielding error by third baseman Junior Caminero on a Ryan Jeffers fielder’s choice loaded the bases. Trevor Larnach drew a walk to force in the go-ahead run, and Royce Lewis followed with another bases-loaded walk to make it 6-4.

With the bases still loaded and the crowd of 36,042 in a frenzy, Gray stepped in against reliever Yoendrys Gómez. On a 1-1 count, Gray launched a towering drive to right field for a grand slam, his first home run of the season, clearing the bases and putting an emphatic stamp on the inning. The five-RBI afternoon for Gray was the clear standout performance.

The Rays managed a consolation run in the eighth on an RBI single from Cedric Mullins, but the Twins’ bullpen quartet of Eric Orze, Cody Laweryson, Kody Funderburk, and Justin Topa combined for four innings of one-run relief to seal the win. Funderburk earned the win, while Kelly took the loss.

The result defied pregame projections, which had favored the Rays. Statistical models gave Tampa Bay a 52.4% probability to win, with a predicted low-scoring affair. The combined 14 runs easily surpassed the over/under line of 7.5.

The two teams continue their three-game series Saturday at Target Field.