Twins at Rays Preview

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Interstat) — The Minnesota Twins visit the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at George Steinbrenner Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. under a forecast of 74 degrees and rain.

Tampa Bay (13-11) has won two of three games this season against Minnesota (12-12), taking the final two contests of a three-game series at Target Field on April 4-5. The Rays outscored the Twins 11-2 in those victories after dropping the series opener.

Right-hander Drew Rasmussen (1-0) will start for the Twins. He has not faced Tampa Bay this season but will aim to cool a Rays lineup that scored six runs in Wednesday’s 6-1 win over Cincinnati.

Right-hander Nick Martinez (4-1) takes the mound for Tampa Bay. Martinez has been dominant in two starts against Minnesota this season, allowing two earned runs over 12 innings while striking out seven. In his most recent outing Wednesday, he threw eight innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts against the Reds.

Players to Watch

Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp, who made his major league debut this season, is a key arm out of the bullpen. In his last appearance Wednesday at the New York Mets, he allowed two earned runs on four hits over four innings in a 3-2 loss.

Rays third baseman Junior Caminero homered and drove in two runs Wednesday, going 1 for 4.

Recent Results

Minnesota dropped two of three at the Mets, falling 3-2 on Wednesday. Tampa Bay took two of three from Cincinnati, winning the series finale Wednesday.

Betting Line

The Rays are minus-1.5 favorites, with the over/under set at 7.5. The Interstat game simulator projects a 6-5 Rays victory.

Next Up

The teams play again Saturday. Minnesota then returns home for a three-game series against Seattle beginning Monday. Tampa Bay travels to Cleveland for a three-game set starting Monday.