FORT MYERS, Fla. — After three scoreless starts, Kenta Maeda said "it's scary when things are going so well," and mused that he might want to give up a run before training camp ends. Having accomplished so much this spring, on Saturday, he managed even that.
Maeda was brilliant again in the first night game of the spring at Hammond Stadium, allowing a solo home run just inside the foul pole but little else, and the Opening Day starter helped the Twins snap their four-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
"I'm really glad I said that. It's an excuse for me to give up a run tonight," Maeda joked after throwing 75 pitches in 5 1/3 innings, allowing three singles and Mike Brosseau's home run, and striking out six. "It was a pretty good pitch [to Brosseau]. I threw the ball well. He put a good swing on it, but I didn't think it would go out."
Everyone seemed a little shocked to see Maeda give up a run after an all-but-perfect spring. With one more tuneup start remaining before he opens the season April 1 in Milwaukee, the veteran righthander owns a 0.63 ERA and 18 strikeouts (and just one walk) in 14 1/3 innings.
Rays starter Michael Wacha held the Twins scoreless over four innings, but a Kyle Garlick sacrifice fly tied the game in the fifth. Josh Donaldson then set up th winning run with a single; moments later, Keon Broxton scored from first base on Nelson Cruz's long single into the right-field corner, sliding home just ahead of the tag.
Hansel Robles helped protect the Twins' lead with a scoreless seventh inning, only the second time in seven spring appearances in which he didn't allow a hit. And bullpen candidate Brandon Waddell closed out the game with two shutout innings, recording five of the six outs on strikeouts.
