Jones hits three-run homer, Reed pitches six innings as Twins edge past Devil Rays

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Jacque Jones hit a three-run homer, and Rick Reed pitched six innings Sunday as the Minnesota Twins beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4-3.

Reed allowed three runs and eight hits. Mike Fetters, winner Kevin Hodge and Jose Cabrera finished with hitless relief.

Devil Rays starter Jim Parque gave up three runs and four hits in five innings, allowing Jones' third-inning homer.

Ben Grieve went 3-for-4 for Tampa Bay, and Brent Abernathy hit a two-run double. Matt LeCroy went 2-for-3 for the Twins.

With one out in the ninth and runners on second and third, Tampa Bay's Jason Tyner hit a short fly ball that was ruled a diving catch by center fielder Alex Romero. Pinch-runner Rocco Baldelli initially broke for home thinking the ball fell in, headed back to third, then crossed the plate.

Romero threw the ball to first baseman Todd Sears, who flipped it to Jose Morban. The shortstop stepped on third, and the umpire called Baldelli out.The game-ending double play angered Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella.

"There were two mistakes made on that play," Piniella said. "First, there is no doubt in my mind that the ball was trapped. And my guy definitely got back to the bag and tagged up on time. That's just a bad way to lose a game."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said from his view in the dugout it appeared that Romero caught the ball and he said Baldelli never got back to the bag.

Notes: Minnesota optioned RHP Juan Rincon, LHP Brad Thomas and OF Michael Ryan to Triple-A Rochester of the International League, and reassigned RHPs Ben Ford and Mike Nakamura, Cs Brandon Marsters and Joe Mauer and INF Alex Prieto to their minor league camp. Twins GM Terry Ryan thinks Mauer, the club's top draft choice in 2001, will start with the Class A Fort Myers of the Florida State League. ... LHP Kenny Rogers, who signed March 13, had his first spring start for the Twins pushed back from Sunday to Tuesday. ... Two Minnesota players were hit by foul balls lined into the dugout. LHP Johan Santana bruised his pitching thumb and LeCroy was hit in the right shoulder. Dustan Mohr then pinch hit for LeCroy. ... The Devil Rays reassigned OF Ryan Thompson to their minor league camp.

TAMPA BAY MINNESOTA

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Anderson cf 4 1 1 0 Jones lf 4 1 1 3

Fabregas c 0 0 0 0 Hocking lf 0 0 0 0

Abernathy 2b 4 0 1 2 Guzman ss 3 0 0 0

Huff dh 4 0 0 0 Morban ss 1 0 0 0

Lee 1b 4 0 0 0 Hunter cf 3 0 0 0

Clark 1b 0 0 0 0 Romero cf 1 1 1 0

Grieve rf 4 1 3 0 Kielty rf 3 0 1 0

Rolls 3b 3 0 1 0 LeCroy dh 3 0 2 0

Conti lf-cf 4 0 2 0 Mohr ph 1 0 0 0

Ortiz c 2 0 1 1 Mientkwcz 1b 3 0 0 0

Tyner ph-lf 2 0 0 0 Sears 1b 1 0 0 0

Ordonez ss 3 1 0 0 Cuddyer 3b 3 0 1 1

Luna ss 0 0 0 0 Pierzynski c 3 1 1 0

Prince c 1 0 0 0

Rivas 2b 2 1 1 0

Gomez 2b 0 0 0 0

Totals 34 3 9 03 Totals 32 4 8 4

Tampa Bay 010 020 000 -- 3

Minnesota 003 000 01x -- 4

E--Ordonez, Prince. DP--Tampa Bay 1, Minnesota 2. LOB--Tampa Bay 5, Minnesota 7. 2B--Abernathy, Grieve, Pierzynski. HR--Jones (4).

IP H R ER BB SO

Tampa Bay

Parque 5 4 3 3 1 2

Backe 1 1-3 1 0 0 2 0

Bowers 2-3 0 0 0 0 0

Harper L, 0-2 1 3 1 1 0 2

Minnesota

Reed 6 8 3 3 0 2

Fetters 1 0 0 0 0 1

Hodge W, 1-0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Cabrera S, 2 1 0 0 0 0 0

T--2:28. A--7,131.