TORONTO -- The Twins hated seeing Royce Lewis go on the injured list Saturday. But injuries create opportunity, and during Minnesota’s 8-2 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday, Tristan Gray looked ready to seize the moment.
Gray sparked the Twins’ offense and quieted the Rogers Centre crowd in the second inning when he turned on an inside cutter from Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer. The likely future Hall of Famer spun around in dismay as Gray’s go-ahead three-run homer landed deep in the right-field seats.
Though Lewis will likely return when his 10-day IL stint is up, Gray has already made a case for regular playing time by covering for him at third base. He has now driven in 11 runs -- second on the team behind Josh Bell -- and owns a .937 OPS through eight games.
“He’s come up big so far,” manager Derek Shelton said of Gray.
Gray does not have the flashiest MLB résumé. He entered Sunday with a .657 career OPS in 130 at-bats, but he has also never had a real shot at regular big league reps. He served as a utilityman for the Rays last year, appearing in just 30 Major League games.
The Twins acquired Gray from the Red Sox in January for catcher Nate Baez, and the 30-year-old has brought a hard-nosed edge to Minnesota’s clubhouse ever since. Gray stood out in Spring Training and earned the final position-player spot on the Twins’ Opening Day roster.
“When you’re a guy like [Gray] that is a supplementary piece or a utility guy, the days you get your opportunities, you don’t try to do too much,” Shelton said. “You do little things.
“He’s 30 years old. He’s been with six different organizations. … Sometimes it’s just [about] getting the right opportunity, and it’s a nice fit. He’s done a really nice job for us.”
Gray finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs Sunday, and the Twins put together another polished team effort to secure a series win over the Blue Jays. Minnesota’s big bats took advantage of Scherzer's shaky command. Gray got the scoring started, Kody Clemens added a solo homer in the third and Brooks Lee followed with a two-run double later in the inning.
Shelton characterized Sunday’s win as a cohesive team effort. Starting pitcher Taj Bradley, now in his second season with Minnesota, called his club “one big unit.”
“Everybody plays for one another,” said Bradley, who earned the win with five solid innings of one-run ball and seven strikeouts. “Everybody hypes each other up. … If I’m coming in after a tough inning, everybody still gives me a pat on the back.”
After Bradley left the contest, Twins right-hander Andrew Morris made his Major League debut in the sixth inning. Morris, the Twins’ No. 13 prospect per MLB Pipeline, got Eloy Jiménez swinging with a sharp sweeper for his first career strikeout. He wrapped up his outing after three innings, allowing one run on six hits.
Afterward, Morris described a whirlwind of emotions. Amped with energy, he said he struggled to throw strikes in his pregame bullpen session, so he had to calm himself with some self-talk.
“I’m trying to tell myself, like, ‘This is what you dream of, this is what you always dreamed of. Just go enjoy it,’” said Morris, who had a lipstick stain on his cheek after a postgame kiss from his wife.
There’s some bright energy in the Twins’ clubhouse after winning two out of three games against the reigning American League champions. Beyond a blip on Friday, Minnesota came through with clutch hits and showed this club has all the tools to compete with -- and outduel -- a stacked roster like Toronto’s.
“We made them work, whether it was a base hit, a walk, a hit by pitch. Then we scattered in a homer or two,” Shelton said. “But overall, very pleased with this short road trip.”