MINNEAPOLIS — The first batter for each team Saturday set the tone for the night.
Brandon Lowe swung at three of Kenta Maeda's four pitches, missing the last two to become the first victim in the Twins starter's six shutout innings. Max Kepler launched Michael Wacha's second pitch for Tampa Bay more than 400 feet into the seats in right-center, the first of their eight extra-base hits.
Three hours later, former Twins star Nelson Cruz grounded out to finish off his 0-for-4 night and complete Minnesota's most lopsided victory of the season, 12-0 over the Rays at Target Field.
Luis Arraez homered, singled and walked, driving in three runs, Brent Rooker homered and doubled, and Twins catchers Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers combined for a single, double and Jeffers' home run.
But for all the offense, Maeda might have had the best night — and most lucrative, too.
Facing a team that had scored at least eight runs in its previous seven games, the righthander gave up only three hits, all of them singles, and never allowed a runner to reach second base in his six innings.
For making his 20th start of the season, Maeda earned a $1 million incentive bonus from the Twins, and by eclipsing 100 innings — he's at 102 now — he added an extra $250,000, too.
It's all worth it for the Twins, who watched their most senior pitcher depart without allowing a run for the fourth time this season.
Pineda on IL
Michael Pineda's oblique strain got no worse overnight,manager Rocco Baldelli said, but it's clear he can't pitch with the nagging soreness. So the righthander, who left Friday's start in the third inning, became the eighth Twins pitcher currently on the injured list.
Pineda must sit out 10 days, but it's possible, Baldelli conceded, that his season — and Twins career, given that his contract expires in October — is over.
"I still do hope that we will see him back this year. How confident I am about that, it's hard to say at the moment," Baldelli said. "There are a wide range of outcomes on these types of muscle injuries. Sometimes they can take a little while to heal up."
The Twins already have a vacancy in their rotation, one that lefthander Charlie Barnes will fill on Sunday. Baldelli said the Twins have some options in mind for Wednesday's game against Cleveland, which would have been Pineda's next start, but they haven't made a decision yet.
The Twins filled Pineda's roster spot by calling up righthander Ralph Garza Jr., who was claimed off waivers from Houston earlier this month. Garza became the 30th Twins pitcher of the season when he debuted in the seventh inning, and he needed only 16 pitches to retire all six hitters he faced.
Buxton closer
Byron Buxton worked out at Target Field on Saturday, then departed for Georgia to take care of a family matter. He will return Monday or Tuesday, Baldelli said, and the Twins will assess his status ahead of the road trip that begins Thursday in New York. "We're hoping he's close to being able to play," the manager said.
A rehab stint in St. Paul, Buxton's second of the season, is likely, Baldelli added. Buxton's left hand was fractured by a pitch on June 21, and "he will need to go play and get some at-bats and get some comfort with his hand," the manager said.
