MINNEAPOLIS -- Ask his Rays teammates about their expectations for YANDY DIAZ and there’s not much that would surprise them, not even a four-hit game with another homer.
Ask Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash about his standout first baseman and leadoff hitter and he will tell you that Díaz belongs in elite company.
“He should be getting some MVP consideration the way he’s put together what he’s done offensively,” Cash said after the Rays’ WIN over the Twins on Monday at Target Field. “To hit .320 or whatever he’s hitting and have the home runs and the RBIs from the leadoff spot is pretty special.”
Díaz notched his third game with four hits this season, including his 20th home run, and Taylor Walls hit a three-run homer as the Rays won their fourth straight game during this pivotal stretch of the season against likely playoff teams.
“Just made a slight adjustment in the swing, and thank God it’s been working,” Díaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I’m just going to keep it at that.”
The Rays took the final three games of a four-game series at home against Seattle, which entered play Monday holding the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
The Twins, meanwhile, had won six of their previous nine games and led the AL Central by 7 1/2 games coming into the series against Tampa Bay. This road trip for the Rays also includes four games against division-leading Baltimore.
SIZE 2 X 5.5 INCHES