C.J. Cron went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run home runs in Saturday's 10-1 win over the Twins.
Both home runs played a major role in the victory. With the Rays trailing 1-0 in the third inning, Cron stepped to the plate and flipped the scoreboard, swatting a two-out, two-run home run off Kyle Gibson. Cron's crew would not trail again in the contest, but just for good measure, he put the game out of reach with yet another two-run shot in the seventh inning to cap off a five-run frame for the home team. He's up to four homers for the campaign.. In addition, the first baseman is slashing .264/.316/.472 and has driven in 11 runs over the course of 72 at-bats. Cron has been good for 16 home runs -- on the nose -- each of the last three seasons, so he's a fair bit ahead of pace right now.
Denard Span went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Saturday's win over the Twins.
The Rays held a 3-1 advantage at the time Span stepped to the plate with runners on in the seventh inning. He proceeded to provide a bit of breathing room, coming through with a two-run single to help widen the gap. C.J. Cron would promptly unload for a two-run home run to score Span and cap off a five-run seventh for the Rays. Just for good measure, Span later came through with another RBI single to turn the game into a laugher in the ninth inning. Overall, the veteran outfielder is hitting a quiet .259/.369/.407 with one home run, 17 RBI and two steals in 17 games. The RBI mark is actually quite nice, but otherwise, he offers a relatively toothless game. He should be good for double-digit steals and perhaps double-digit home runs (something he has achieved each of the past two seasons), but there's no real fantasy intrigue at this juncture of his career.
Brian Dozier went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's loss to the Rays.
Dozier's two-bagger was one of three extra-base hits the Twins managed in the defeat. It was his fourth of the season. On the whole, the second baseman is slashing .303/.370/.545 with four home runs, seven RBI, 14 runs scored and a pair of steals. He's recorded multiple hits in three of his last four games and is now working on a 15-game hitting streak. Remarkably, he has collected at least one knock in every game this season.
Robbie Grossman went 2-for-4 with a double in Saturday's loss to the Rays.
The Twins managed three doubles on the evening, but were unable to parlay those extra-base hits into any kind of a sustained offensive threat. In addition to the two-bagger, Grossman also picked up a single in the ninth inning. Modest enough gains, but they had to feel like something of a breath of relief for Grossman in the face of what's been a rough start to the campaign. He was hitting just .077/.173/.115 prior to stirring to life on Saturday.
Blake Snell surrendered one run on five hits over seven innings innings Saturday's 10-1 win over the Twins.
Snell struck out six without issuing a walk in the crisp win. He finished his early evening's work having thrown an even 100 pitches, 68 of those for strikes. A Miguel Sano sacrifice fly in the first inning served as the lone damage to the scoreboard on his watch, though he did have a touch-and-go moment late in his outing, as he had to work around a leadoff double from Robbie Grossman in the seventh inning. The Rays were holding a 2-1 lead at the time. He survived, and will now carry a 2.54 ERA, 0.99 and 32/10 K/BB ratio (28 1/3 innings) into a road showdown with the Orioles next time out. Had Snell not been roughed up by the Yankees for five runs in his second start of the season, those numbers would be even better. He has allowed zero or one run in all four of his other outings on the year.
Kyle Gibson pitched well before scuffling late in Saturday's loss to the Rays, striking out seven while allowing four runs across 6 1/3 innings.
Gibson entered Saturday's contest rolling on an unbeaten streak of 12 consecutive starts. That fell by the wayside against the Rays, but he pitched better than his final line would indicate. The Rays had managed just a two-run home run from C.J. Cron in the third inning prior to tripping him up with a pair of runs after he came out to start the seventh inning. Had he stayed in the dugout, we'd be talking about an admirable enough effort. He did not stay in the dugout, though, and Gibson is now working to a 4.29 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 20/11 K/BB ratio through his first four starts of the season. His lack of control can be downright terrifying at times -- he already has outings issuing four and five walks this year, though to be fair, just one free pass was handed out on Saturday. The right-hander will next head to the Bronx for a showdown with the Yankees.
Buster Posey was scratched from Saturday's game against the Angels with back tightness.
Posey's thumb has given him problems in recent days, so in that sense it's a positive that the thumb isn't the issue this time. The bad news is that he's now got a back issue to contend with. Pablo Sandoval is serving as the designated hitter Saturday in Posey's stead.
Tyler Thornburg (shoulder) will rejoin the Red Sox during their next homestand and is likely to throw live batting practice.
Despite the progress, he's still got some steps before possibly being reinstated. Thoracic outlet syndrome, the surgery for which Thornburg had last June, has proven difficult for pitchers to return from, so even if Thornburg does make it back, he may never make it all the way back to where he used to be. He'll be arbitration-eligible again before the 2019 season before becoming a free agent after 2019.