Jake Odorizzi got a little extra enjoyment from his latest win

ST. PETERSBURG Kyle Gibson Jersey , Fla. (AP) — .Odorizzi pitched six scoreless innings to lower his AL-best ERA to 1.96, and the Minnesota Twins held off the Tampa Bay Rays for a 9-7 victory Sunday.The right-hander, who went 40-37 with the Rays from 2013-17, took the mound as an opponent for the first time at Tropicana Field.Article continues below ...“I’d be lying if I wasn’t more excited for this game than maybe some other ones just because I spent so much time here,” Odorizzi said. “They were great to me when I was here. It wasn’t one of those things where it was fueled by hate, it was just fueled by a lot of excitement.”Odorizzi (8-2) gave up three hits and struck out nine in winning his eighth straight decision. The 29-year-old, who departed with a 7-0 lead, has not allowed a run in six of his last seven starts.“Jake was great, again,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.Minnesota rebounded from a 14-3 loss Thursday night to take the final three games of the series, running baseball’s best record to 40-18. It’s the fastest Minnesota has reached 40 wins.The Twins will play 16 games within the AL Central through the rest of the month, starting with a three-game series at Cleveland beginning Tuesday night. Minnesota has an 11½-game lead over the Indians and Chicago White Sox.“It don’t change who we are,” Twins center fielder Byron Buxton said. “We’ve just got to go out there and keep playing the ball that we’re playing, play aggressive and keep having fun.”The Rays used a five-run seventh to get within two.“That was encouraging,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Hopefully we can carry that over because it’s been fairly quiet.”Kevin Kiermaier had a run-scoring infield hit and Austin Meadows drove in a pair with a single off Matt Magill.Brandon Lowe picked up another a run-scoring infield single against Ryne Harper, with a second run scoring on second baseman Jonathan Schoop’s throwing error.Blake Parker replaced Harper Logan Morrison Jersey , who faced one batter, and struck out Willy Adames looking on a 3-2 pitch with two runners on.After Schoop hit a two-run homer in the eighth, Christian Arroyo belted a two-run shot in the bottom half off Parker to make it 9-7.Taylor Rogers struck out the side for his fifth save.C.J. Cron had a three-run double during a four-run fifth off Ryan Yarbrough (4-2), helping the Twins open a 7-0 lead.Minnesota extended its franchise single-season record of scoring three-or-more runs to 26 consecutive games.Yarbrough gave up seven runs and 10 hits over seven innings as Tampa Bay used a traditional starter for the second consecutive game instead of an opener due in part to a taxed bullpen.“That is one way he helps, he got us deep in the ballgame,” Cash said. “We didn’t have to use a bunch of guys so we should be in a pretty good spot as far as the bullpen and the freshness.”BIG-PLAY BUXTONBuxton had two hits and scored twice. He also made a nifty play in the third when he went back to warning track to catch Yandy Díaz’s drive and then threw to first to double up Austin Meadows.“You run out of superlatives for the guy,” Baldelli said.GETTING CLOSETwins: DH Nelson Cruz (strained left wrist) went 1 for 3 in his second game with Class A Fort Myers and could be back Tuesday.Rays: OFs Tommy Pham (right calf cramp) and Avisaíl García (hamstring) were both out of the lineup for the third straight game but likely will start Tuesday.TRAINER’S ROOMTwins: C Mitch Garver (high left ankle strain) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and had an RBI singleRays: Díaz (bruised left hand) returned from the 10-day IL. … Reliever Jose Alvarado went on the family emergency leave list.MOVING AROUNDMarwin Gonzalez played right field for the Twins in his fourth different starting position during the series.“He’s like a one-man stress reliever,” Baldelli said.Gonzalez also started at third, shortstop and first base.UP NEXTTwins: LHP Devin Smeltzer (0-0), coming off six scoreless innings in his major league debut Tuesday against Milwaukee, goes against Indians RHP Shane Bieber (4-2) Tuesday night.Rays: LHP Blake Snell (3-4) and Detroit LHP Ryan Carpenter (0-2) are Tuesday night’s scheduled starters. TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays are certain they want slugging prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to be at the center of their youth movement and rebuild.As for who is on the field around Guerrero when Toronto is ready to push for the playoffs again, that is what the team hopes to start figuring out this season.Just two years removed from a second consecutive AL Championship Series appearance, the Blue Jays have turned over the core of those postseason teams and started transitioning to the future. All over the diamond this season, young players will be given the opportunity to establish themselves. Besides Guerrero, several more gifted prospects are advancing through the minors.Aware that not all his talented youngsters will become productive big leaguers, Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro is hesitant to put a timeline on Toronto’s return to competitiveness.“There’s no limit to how quickly it can happen Orlando Arcia Jersey ,” Shapiro said during a conference call. “But there’s also no certainty to how fast it will happen. That’s why it’s important to not stake it on one or two or three players. You’ve got to have a lot of players and a lot of players coming.”Still, no single player looks likely to make a bigger impact on Toronto’s fortunes than the powerful Guerrero, currently recovering from a strained left oblique. The son of a Hall of Famer, he hit .381 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs in 91 games at Double-A and Triple-A last season.Catcher Danny Jansen, infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and outfielder Billy McKinney are among the other promising players who will get their chance in Toronto this season. While success in the tough AL East won’t come easy, Shapiro doesn’t want his youngsters accepting defeat, either.“The expectation is we go out and compete with no limitations in our own mind,” Shapiro said.ANOTHER SON RISINGToronto’s most productive batter this spring was Bo Bichette, son of former slugger Dante Bichette. A shortstop, he hit .417 with four homers in 18 games. Bichette has yet to play at Triple-A, where he’ll start the season.STARTING WITH STRORight-hander Marcus Stroman will start Toronto’s opening day game, at home against Detroit on March 28. The MVP of Team USA’s World Baseball Classic victory in 2017, Stroman had a down year in 2018, starting late because of a sore shoulder and shutting down early because of blisters. In between, he was 4-9 with a career-worst 5.54 ERA. Finally injury-free this spring, he has looked strong again. “Stroman is the right guy Jonathan Villar Jersey ,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “He’s pitching great.”ROOKIES TO WATCHJansen, who turns 24 in April, will get the bulk of the playing time behind the plate. A 16th round draft pick in 2013, Jansen didn’t hit much in his first few minor league seasons. After being diagnosed with astigmatism, Jansen started wearing glasses before the 2017 season, when he hit .323 at three minor league levels. He played in the All-Star Futures game last summer before joining the Blue Jays in August.NEW FACESSure-handed infielder Freddy Galvis was the only significant position player acquired over the winter, but the Blue Jays added plenty of pitching. Left-hander Clayton Richard arrived in a trade with San Diego, while right-handers Clay Buchholz, Matt Shoemaker and David Phelps signed as free agents. Toronto also signed righties Bud Norris and John Axford to minor league deals.NEW COACHESPitching coach Pete Walker and third base coach Luis Rivera are the only holdovers from former manager John Gibbons’ staff and the newcomers are from all over. Montoyo joined from the Rays, bench coach Dave Hudgens was with the Astros, first base coach Mike Budzinski came from Cleveland, bullpen coach Matt Buschmann worked for the Giants and hitting coach Guillermo Martinez was previously with the Cubs. “I’m excited about this new staff,” outfielder Kevin Pillar said. “They come from places that all have a pedigree of winning.”