PORT CHARLOTTE (WDAE) -- Blake Snell pitched a scoreless inning in his 2019 Grapefruit League debut, but it was an RBI single by Lucius Fox in the bottom of the sixth inning that scored Austin Meadows with the only run of Thursday evening's game, as the Tampa Bay Rays won their third straight Spring Training game, defeating the Minnesota Twins 1-0.
Snell walked Jonathan Schoop on four pitches, the only blemish on his inning, but struck out former teammates Lucas Duda and C.J. Cron to end his frame.
The only two hits allowed by Rays pitching were a two-out triple in the third by Ehire Adrianza off Oliver Drake, and a ninth-inning infield single by Jordan Gore that deflected off pitcher Dalton Moats.
Tampa Bay's only run started with a double by Austin Meadows off former Rays reliever Preston Guilmet. He then beat the throw to third on a fielder's choice grounder by Avisail Garcia. Nick Solak grounded into a double play in which Meadows was forced to remain at third base, but Christian Arroyo drew a walk to extend the inning for Fox, whose single to right provided all the offense necessary.
Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who struck out Schoop in the third after Adrianza's triple, left the game at the end of the inning as a precaution with tightness in his left groin, and he is considered day-to-day.
Minnesota would manage just two other baserunners, both on Colin Poche walks in the fourth. Both Duda and Cron drew free passes, but the former was erased trying to advance on a ball in the dirt while the latter was part of a 1-4-3 double play off the bat of Jake Cave.
Tampa Bay heads back to Sarasota for the second time this week on Friday to take on the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Charlie Morton will make his spring debut, taking on former Rays starter Alex Cobb. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.