Rays fall to Twins 4-3 on July 5 after Harrison Bader's walk-off HR. The loss is overshadowed by an injury scare for Ha-Seong Kim in his Rays debut.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a night of soaring highs and crushing lows in Minneapolis. For eight innings, it felt like the Rays were scripting the perfect road win, only to have the final page ripped out by a familiar foe. Harrison Bader's second home run of the game, a walk-off blast in the bottom of the ninth, sent the Rays to a gut-wrenching 4-3 defeat against the Twins, a loss made all the more bitter by the concerning circumstances surrounding the debut of a key new player.
Brandon Lowe's fourth-inning single extended his hitting streak to 19 games, tying Jason Bartlett for the second-longest in Rays history.
The biggest story entering the night was the return of Ha-Seong Kim. After missing the first 87 games recovering from shoulder surgery, the Gold Glove-winning shortstop finally suited up in a Rays uniform. He didn't wait long to make an impact, lacing a single for his first hit with the team. But the celebration was short-lived. Later in the game, Kim was caught stealing and appeared to limp off the field, immediately raising red flags about his health. The sight of their prized free-agent acquisition in discomfort after just one game casts a shadow over the team's immediate plans.
For most of the game, the Rays played their brand of baseball. Starter Zack Littell was masterful, carving through the Twins' lineup for six innings while allowing just a single run. The offense did its part, building a 3-1 lead thanks to timely RBIs from Josh Lowe, Yandy Díaz, and Junior Caminero. But the bullpen couldn't hold the line. Garrett Cleavinger's control issues in the seventh, where he hit two batters, allowed the Twins to tie it up. That set the stage for Kevin Kelly, who served up the game-winning, walk-off homer to Harrison Bader in the ninth, a cruel end to a well-played game.
Amidst the disappointment, one Ray continues to etch his name in the record books. Brandon Lowe extended his hitting streak to an incredible 19 games with a single in the fourth inning. The streak is the longest active run in MLB and now ties him with Jason Bartlett (2009) for the second-longest in franchise history. He's now just one game shy of tying Yandy Díaz's 20-game record set just last season. Lowe's consistency has been a massive bright spot and a key driver for the offense.
One game can feel like a season's worth of emotion. The sting of the walk-off loss is real, and the anxiety over Ha-Seong Kim's status will linger until the team provides an update. But with Brandon Lowe's historic pursuit and a chance to even the series tomorrow, the Rays have to turn the page quickly. Taj Bradley gets the ball, tasked with stopping the bleeding and getting Tampa Bay back in the win column. It's time to see how this resilient club responds to a night of pure baseball drama.
