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Zobrist sets club record with 8 RBI as Rays pound Twins

Apr 29, 2011 - 1:15 AM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Ben Zobrist finished with four hits, including a three-run homer and set a franchise-record with eight runs batted in, as the Tampa Bay Rays pounded the Minnesota Twins, 15-3, in the opener of a day/night doubleheader at Target Field.

Zobrist also had a pair of two-run doubles and an RBI single, and surpassed Carlos Pena, who drove in seven versus Baltimore on September 5, 2007.

"I was just in the right spot with a lot of teammates on base and was fortunate to have a few [hits] fall today," Zobrist said.

B.J. Upton went 3-for-4 with two RBI and scored three times, while Casey Kotchman added a solo homer for Tampa Bay, which has won four straight and is now 13-5 since losing its first six games of the season. Johnny Damon had three hits, three runs scored and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to 15 games.

Jeremy Hellickson (2-2) picked up the win after tossing 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three.

Michael Cuddyer had a two hits and a solo homer for the Twins, who have dropped two in a row since winning five of their previous seven. Rene Tosoni, making his major league debut, went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in defeat.

Nick Blackburn (1-4) struggled mightily in losing his fourth straight start. He was roughed up for seven runs -- five earned -- on eight hits and four walks without recording a strikeout in 3 1/3 innings.

Tampa Bay put up a pair of runs in the first to grab an early edge. Damon worked a one-out walk, stole second and came around to score on Upton's base hit to right. Upton then moved into scoring position with a pilfer of second and scored on a Zobrist single.

Kotchman led off the second with a home run to right to make it a 3-0 game and the Rays tacked on two more in the third on Kelly Shoppach's sacrifice fly and Kotchman's base hit, coupled with an error on Tosoni in left.

Sam Fuld reached with a walk to start the fourth and came in on Damon's triple high off the right-field wall. Upton followed with an RBI single up the middle to put the Rays up 7-0.

Cuddyer's homer off the left-field foul pole put the Twins on the board in the bottom of the frame, but with two aboard in the sixth, Zobrist cleared the bases with a three-run shot into the right-field seats.

Tampa Bay pushed three more across in the seventh on an RBI single by Matt Joyce and two-run double by Zobrist.

Tosoni and Luke Hughes each had a run-scoring base hit in the home half.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth, Zobrist's two-run double to left set the franchise-record with eight RBI and put his club ahead 15-3.

"They're playing good ball right now," Twins catcher Drew Butera said of the Rays.

Game Notes

Minnesota will start Anthony Swarzak in the second game, while Tampa Bay goes with Jeff Niemann...The Rays have won five of six versus the Twins so far in 2011...The last major leaguer with eight RBI in a game was Toronto's Adam Lind against Texas on August 31, 2009.