MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Yandy DĆ­az connected for his 20th homer and finished with four hits, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 7-4 on Monday night.

Josh Lowe had three hits for the second straight day as Tampa Bay won for the sixth time in seven games. The Rays (89-56) stayed three games back of AL East-leading Baltimore.

After Tyler Glasnow (9-5) departed, Kevin Kelly, Jake Diekman and Pete Fairbanks each pitched a hitless inning. Fairbanks worked the ninth for his 23rd save.

It was a costly win for Tampa Bay, which lost center fielder Jose Siri when he was hit in the fifth inning by a pitch from Dylan Floro. Siri, who has a career-high 25 homers and 56 RBIs this year, has a fractured right hand.

ā€œWeā€™ll see what the specialists say," manager Kevin Cash said. ā€œThereā€™s some hope that maybe itā€™s a short stint, maybe three weeks of shutdown and it heals up quickly, but we wonā€™t know anything for a while.ā€

ā€œI just got to keep on working, so I can be in a quick return,ā€ Siri said through a translator.

Max Kepler and Royce Lewis homered for the AL Central-leading Twins, who finished with six hits. Sonny Gray (7-7) was charged with two runs, one earned, and six hits in four innings.

DĆ­az hit a leadoff shot in the sixth, giving Tampa Bay a 6-1 lead. He hit a game-ending homer in Saturdayā€™s 7-5 win over Seattle.

ā€œHe should be getting some MVP consideration the way heā€™s put together what heā€™s done offensively," Cash said. ā€œTo hit (.324) and to have the home runs and (71) RBIs from the leadoff spot is pretty special.ā€

DĆ­az tied a career high with four hits after beginning the day with a .161 (10 for 62) batting average in his career against Minnesota.

ā€œI feel good, so that I can finish strong and that I can help the team win as much as I can,ā€ he said through a translator.

Taylor Walls lifted the Rays to a 5-1 lead in the fifth, hitting a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch from Floro. It was his first homer since May 14 and No. 8 on the season.

Glasnow was charged with four runs in six innings. He struck out eight and walked two.

The right-hander was coming off a dominant performance against Boston, striking out 14 while pitching six innings of three-hit ball in a 3-1 victory.

ā€œYouā€™re not going to feel perfect all the time. I still felt fine, just not as good as last time I guess,ā€ he said.

Kepler hit his 22nd homer in the fourth, and Lewis added a three-run shot in the sixth. It was Lewisā€™ 12th homer.

Gray struck out five and walked one, and his four innings matched his shortest outing of the season. He threw two wild pitches and hit Luke Raley twice.

ā€œWe played some good baseball recently and today, not that we couldnā€™t get anything rolling, we made some mistakes, we couldnā€™t capitalize on a couple of opportunities. But I think itā€™s a good day to forget,ā€ Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said.

CLOSING ā€™EM OUT

Tampa Bay relievers have not allowed an earned run in the last 24 2/3 innings. The bullpen has posted an MLB-leading 1.04 ERA over its last 15 games since Aug. 26.

TRAINERā€™S ROOM

Rays: 3B Isaac Paredes missed his second straight game with a right hand contusion after being hit by a fastball Saturday. Cash is hopeful he can play Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Tampa Bay RHP Zack Littell (3-5, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to face Minnesota RHP Joe Ryan (10-9. 4.21 ERA) on Tuesday.

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