MLB: Colabello’s big night leads Twins to win in extra innings

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rookie sensation Chris Colabello knocked in four runs, including the eventual game-winner with a two-run single in the top of the 12th inning Wednesday as the Minnesota Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 at Tropicana Field.
Colabello had a two-run homer earlier, helping the Twins improve to 10-10 and putting them in position to take the series three-game with a win Thursday.
Colabello’s single off reliever Josh Lueke (0-1) scored Joe Maurer, who had led off with a single and taken second on a Trevor Plouffe double. Colabello, a 30-year-old rookie who did not begin playing affiliated baseball until 2012, leads the American League with 26 RBIs.
Glen Perkins earned his fourth save. Reliever Casey Fien pitched 2 1/3 innings to improve to 3-0.
Tampa Bay fell to 10-10 in the 4:48 affair.
Minnesota scored four times in the fourth for a 4-2 lead, chasing Rays starter Jake Odorizzi. Colabello tied the game, 2-2, with his third homer of the year, scoring Plouffe, who led off with a walk. Odorizzi then allowed consecutive singles to Jason Kubel and Josmil Pinto and walked Chris Hermann to load the bases before Eduardo Escobar knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly and Sam Fuld singled off reliever Brandon Gomes for a 4-2 lead.
Odorizzi was charged with four earned runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Matt Joyce had given the Rays a 2-0 lead with an RBI groundout in the first and a sacrifice flyout in the third.
Tampa Bay trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the fifth on an Evan Longoria infield single. Desmond Jennings cued the rally with a two-out single and took third on a Joyce double. The Rays tied the game, 4-4 in the sixth by loading the bases on a single, hit batter, walks and getting sacrifice flyout by Ben Zobrist against reliever Caleb Thielbar.
Twins starter Mike Pelfrey allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks in five-plus innings.
NOTES: Rays manager Joe Maddon said MLB could rectify the erroneous strikeout it acknowledged to SS Yunel Escobar on Tuesday by changing his statistics to reflect a walk, which he rightly earned. ... Twins 1B Joe Mauer is striking out 27 percent of the time. ... DH Chris Colabello extended his hit streak to eight games with a fourth-inning home run.