Waguespack and 5 relievers combine on a 6-hitter and Rays beat Giants 2-1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jacob Waguespack and five relievers combined on a six-hitter and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Friday night.

Waguespack gave up one run and four hits over four innings in his first start since Sept. 25, 2019, and fourth appearance this season. Garrett Cleavinger (2-0) followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Phil Maton, Colon Poche, Jason Adam and Pete Fairbanks — who worked the ninth to get his third save in as many chances — closed out the Rays' fifth win in six games. Fairbanks retired the final two batters with a runner on third.

“Really good job from the bullpen from the start really, including Waguespack, he kind of set the tone,” Poche said.

Tampa Bay has five starting pitchers on the injured list and the Rays' bullpen entered with an AL-worst 6.43 ERA.

San Francisco has three extra-base hits, including one Friday, over the last three games and gone without a homer in seven straight. The Giants went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position against Tampa Bay.

“Just didn’t get great at-bats in those situations,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said.

Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead on Amed Rosario’s RBI double. Rosario was awarded third when third baseman Matt Chapman was called for obstruction on the Rays’ second basemen’s slide.

“That’s going to look funny all year,” Melvin said, “It’s the first time we’ve seen it called like that.”

Harold Ramirez scored on Rosario's hit after beating out an infield single.

“I didn’t know he was that fast,” Rosario said through a translator.

Melvin was ejected by plate umpire Clint Vondrak for arguing after Jorge Soler was called out on strikes on a pitch by Poche with two on to end the top of the seventh.

“He’s been calling the top of the zone the whole game and he called that one, which has not been called and it looked like it was way below the zone in that situation,” Melvin said. “For me, it was pretty egregious.”

San Francisco starter Keaton Winn (0-3) nearly worked out of a base-loaded, no-out jam in the second with a pair of strikeouts, but walked Yandy Díaz on a 3-2 pitch. He avoided further damage by retiring Randy Arozarena on a grounder.

Winn allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out six.

San Francisco tied it at 1 in the third when Jung Hoo Lee singled, stole second and went to third on catcher Ben Rortvedt’s throwing error, and scored on a wild pitch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: RHP Alex Cobb (left hip surgery) could throw off a bullpen mound next week. … LHP Robbie Ray (Tommy John surgery) is throwing off a mound and is expected back sometime after the All-Star break.

Rays: 2B Brandon Lowe (right oblique strain) was placed on the 10-day IL and INF-OF Niko Goodrum was recalled from Triple-A Durham.

UP NEXT

Giants RHP Logan Webb (0-1) and Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (1-1) are Saturday’s starters.

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San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed tags out Tampa Bay Rays' Jose Siri (22) attempting to steal second base during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop José Caballero forces San Francisco Giants' Nick Ahmed (16) at second base and relays the throw to first in time to turn a double play on Jung Hoo Lee during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Amed Rosario gets hit with a foul ball on a pitch from San Francisco Giants' Keaton Winn during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Richie Palacios makes a running catch on a fly out by San Francisco Giants' Patrick Bailey during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Harold Ramírez celebrates with Richie Palacios (1) after scoring on a bases-loaded walk by San Francisco Giants pitcher Keaton Winn during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

San Francisco Giants' Jung Hoo Lee, left, scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jacob Waguespack on a passed ball by catcher Ben Rortvedt during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Harold Ramírez, left, gets back safely ahead of the tag by San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada after Ramirez over ran the base on an infield single by Amed Rosario during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Randy Arozarena, left, dives back to first ahead of the pickoff throw to San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Keaton Winn delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jacob Waguespack pitches to the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The lucky home run sausage safely returned to Minnesota with the Twins — and their winning streak.

After hitting coach David Popkins initiated the superstition last week, grabbing an unopened summer sausage from a table in the clubhouse and encouraging his players to tap it before their at-bats, the Twins coincidentally followed with a flurry of big hits.

Edouard Julien and Ryan Jeffers hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning of the April 24 game at Target Field, and after Carlos Santana went deep in the eighth, Jeffers actually tossed the sausage to the first baseman on his return to the dugout. From there, the ritual went viral. But not bacterial, they hope.

The Twins wisely took the sausage with them on the road, double-sealed in a plastic bag and stuffed into a shoe. They won all six games, a franchise first for a trip of that length, and took a 10-game win streak into their game on Friday against Boston.

Jeffers, wearing a navy blue “Home Run Sausage” T-shirt featuring a salami-shaped slugger swinging for the fences, was coy in the clubhouse before the game when asked about the cured meat's whereabouts.

There was a reason for that, manager Rocco Baldelli said.

“It’s in the fridge, in the coaches room. We keep it away from the players until the last possible second, when the game starts,” said Baldelli, who had a different, assumedly fresher, summer sausage on his desk in his office.

The original and now famous sausage was part of a baby gift pack to infielder Kyle Farmer from Cloverdale Foods, which supplies the official bacon of the Twins and Target Field. (Sheboygan Sausage, for the record, has the official bratwurst and sausage.)

Farmer and his family were previously part of a promotion for a Cloverdale breakfast sandwich, and he and his wife welcomed their second son earlier this year.

“As huge baseball fans ourselves, we truly understand and respect the elements of superstition and luck,” said Cloverdale vice president of marketing Leigh Milander. “The belief that our Cloverdale Tangy Summer Sausage is somehow magically influencing hits is a huge honor.”

The Twins are no stranger to unique home-run celebrations. Last season, they brought a fishing vest and toy fishing pole to the dugout, a nod to the state’s 10,000 lakes.

This version was by their side when they completed that four-game sweep of the White Sox, totaled 32 runs and 45 hits to win three straight against the Los Angeles Angels and then recorded a three-game sweep of the White Sox in Chicago.

“The season’s too grueling and baseball’s too hard of a sport to not have fun once in a while, right?” Jeffers said.

Associated Press freelancer writer Sarah Effress in Chicago contributed.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Minnesota Twins' Ryan Jeffers runs after hitting a two-run double during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Minnesota Twins players celebrate after the Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox 10-5 in a baseball game in Chicago, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Minnesota Twins' Willi Castro (50) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring off a single hit by Ryan Jeffers during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Minnesota Twins left fielder Austin Martin, center fielder Byron Buxton and right fielder Max Kepler, from left, celebrate the team's win against the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Minnesota Twins celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

The Minnesota Twins celebrate after their win over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

A sausage, left, is held up as Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, top right, enters the dugout after scoring on a single by Max Kepler during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

A Minnesota Twins fan holds a sausage before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Chicago. The Twins recently began passing around summer sausages in the dugout. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)