Josh Winder was dominant in his first major league start and Jorge Polanco had four RBI at the plate as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 9-3 on Sunday afternoon.
After making a couple of appearances in the bullpen this season, Winder took that success into a starting role, making short work of the Rays lineup. The rookie limited Tampa Bay to two hits while issuing a walk and striking out a career-high seven batters on the way to his first career win.
To help Winder's cause, the Twins put up five runs in the first inning. Jorge Polanco delivered his first of two RBI doubles in the opening frame and Byron Buxton went 2-for-5 including his seventh home run of the season in the fourth inning.
In all, the Twins collected 13 hits on the afternoon to pick up their ninth win in the past 10 games.
Minnesota will look to keep rolling when they start a three-game series in Baltimore on Monday night.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!