ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eddie Rosario hit a tie-breaking two-run single off Diego Castillo in the ninth inning after a pair of batters were hit by pitches, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Friday night in a matchup of two of the major leagues’ hottest teams.

Minnesota, a big league-best 38-18, overcame a 3-1 fifth-inning deficit and won for the 13th time in 16 games. The Twins have scored three or more runs in 24 straight games, matching the Minnesota record for a single season, set in 2006.

Jose Berrios and Taylor Rogers (2-1) combined on a four-hitter and stopped a six-game winning streak by the Rays (35-20), their longest since last August. Tampa Bay won the series opener 14-3 and had allowed three runs or fewer in its previous nine games.

Helped by $7.11 tickets, the Rays drew 14,375 to Tropicana Field after three straight days of crowds ranging from 5,786 to 8,076.

Castillo (1-4) hit Jonathan Schoop on the left shoulder with a slider leading off the ninth. Schoop was sacrificed to second and took third on a groundout, and Polanco was intentionally walked, and Castillo hit Astudillo on the left arm with a slider on a 1-2 count.

Left-hander Adam Kolarek relieved, and the left-handed hitting Rosario grounded an opposite-field single to left, past the spot vacated when third baseman Christian Arroyo shifted toward shortstop.

RANGERS 6, ROYALS 2: Joey Gallo’s first career grand slam capped a six-run, sixth inning outburst as Texas rallied past visiting Kansas City.

Gallo’s home run, his team leading 16th of the season, sailed 457 feet and landed in the second seating area beyond the center-field wall.

Ariel Jurado (2-2) won for the first time in three major league starts this season. Jurado allowed two runs on five hits and three walks. The second-year right-hander, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on April 26, had career highs in strikeouts (six) and pitches (101).

NATIONAL LEAGUE

PIRATES 9, BREWERS 4: Josh Bell finished off his historic May with two more hits, Starling Marte added three hits and scored three times and Pittsburgh pounced on struggling Milwaukee starter Jhoulys Chacin in a win at home.

Bell’s two singles gave him 94 total bases in May, the most by any player in any month in the franchise’s 138-year history. Bell hit .389 in May with 12 home runs, 12 doubles and 31 RBI.

Kevin Newman extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games with a pair of hits, including a two-run single off reliever Freddy Peralta in the third to cap a six-run outburst that put the Pirates firmly in control.

RED 9, NATIONALS 3: Curt Casali hit a three-run homer off Patrick Corbin, who had one of the worst starts of his career, and Cincinnati ended Washington’s streak of eight straight wins at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds made quick work of one of the majors’ best pitchers.

Corbin (5-3) gave up eight runs – one shy of his career high – in 22/3 innings. The Reds piled up 11 hits, matching the most the left-hander had allowed in a game. He retired only eight of his 20 batters.

INTERLEAGUE

TIGERS 8, BRAVES 2: Niko Goodrum homered twice and had a career-high five hits, Nicholas Castellanos and Grayson Greiner also went deep, and Detroit rolled at Atlanta.
Spencer Turnbull pitched into the seventh inning, allowing five hits and one earned run in dealing the Braves their third straight loss at SunTrust Park.

Goodrum, who came into the night hitting just .208, launched a 419-foot drive that nearly went into the Chop House restaurant above the right-field seats in the third inning. He hit another almost as far in the eighth for his second career multihomer game.

ORIOLES 9, GIANTS 6: Dwight Smith’s first career grand slam capped a six-run outburst in the first inning and Baltimore outslugged visiting San Francisco.
The teams met at Camden Yards for the first time since 2004.

Trey Mancini and Renato Nunez also homered for the Orioles, who overcame a five-run, first-inning deficit and improved to 8-21 at home.

NOTES

CARDINALS: Catcher Yadier Molina was put on the 10-day injured list because of a strained right thumb tendon.

The 36-year-old, a nine-time All-Star, got hurt during Saturday’s game against Atlanta and tried to play through the injury. Manager Mike Shildt said it affected Molina’s batting.

PHILLIES: Right-hander Zach Eflin was placed on the injured list with mid-back tightness and will miss his scheduled start Saturday against the Dodgers.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Eflin woke up a few days ago with a stiff back and is having mild spasms.

DIAMONDBACKS: Right-hander Luke Weaver has a mild sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow along with a mild flexor pronator strain, and the team expects him to be sidelined for an extended time.

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