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Rays shoot for more home success vs. Twins

Apr 23, 2014 - 2:32 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Tampa Bay Rays will try to extend their home winning streak over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night in the second contest of a three-game series.

The Rays picked up their seventh straight home victory over the Twins by taking Tuesday's opener 7-3 behind a gem from David Price.

Price fanned a season-high 12 batters in his ninth career complete game, yielding three runs on a pair of fourth-inning homers. He also scattered six hits and a walk to move to 3-1 on the season.

"Velocity was good, strike throwing was good and it seemed like every thing was right," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "He just made a couple of mistakes. Otherwise, he was pretty much on top of his game."

David DeJesus went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Matt Joyce and James Loney both finished with two hits and two RBI in Tampa Bay's third victory in four games.

The Rays have not lost at home to the Twins since April 20, 2012.

Chris Colabello hit a two-run homer and Brian Dozier added a solo shot for the Twins, who have dropped three of their last four.

Kyle Gibson suffered his first loss of the season after he was knocked around for seven runs on 10 hits over three-plus innings.

"(Gibson) was just missing as they say," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "You know some pretty close pitches that didn't go our way. He was just around the plate and just off the plate just enough that got him into trouble."

It has been a tough start to the season for Minnesota's Mike Pelfrey, a beginning he'll try to put behind him tonight.

Pelfrey is 0-2 with a 7.98 earned run average through three starts, giving up 13 runs in 14 2/3 innings. The righty also has been hurt by five home runs allowed and 12 walks issued.

Following consecutive losses to begin the season, Pelfrey did not factor into last Thursday's 9-5 win over Toronto. However, he did little to aid the victory, yielding five runs -- four earned -- on four hits and five walks over just 4 1/3 innings.

Pelfrey, 30, is 0-1 in two previous starts versus the Rays, allowing seven runs, 16 hits and two homers over 11 innings for a 5.73 ERA.

Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi hopes to avoid a third straight setback tonight when he faces the Twins for the first time.

The 24-year-old righty opened the season with six scoreless innings of a victory versus Texas on April 4, but was drilled for seven runs over five innings of a loss at Kansas City on April 9.

Odorizzi was much better in his last outing on Wednesday at Baltimore, but took a 3-0 defeat after yielding three runs on five hits and three walks over five frames.