Gameday Preview (Monday): Rays Look to Continue Winnings Ways in Series Opener vs. Twins

The Tampa Bay Rays are finally playing well at home in Tampa, but they start a stern test on Monday night against the red-hot Minnesota Twins. Here's our gameday preview, with starting lineups and pitching notes.

Tampa Bay's Zack Littell gets the start on Monday night against the Minnesota Twins at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are on a five-game winning streak and seem to finally be finding their footing at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home in 2025. But they'll face a big challenge the next three days, taking on the red-hot Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota is 16-3 since May 3, getting great pitching from both starters and relievers and timely hits as well. The series starts Monday night, with another night game Tuesday and a matinee on Wednesday.

Here are the details on the game:

How to watch Blue Jays-Rays

• Who: Minnesota Twins (29-23) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (26-26)
• When: Monday, May 26 at 7:05 p.m. ET
• Where: Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.
• TV: FanDuel Sports Sun; MLB Network (out of area)
• Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, WQBN 106.7/1300 AM (Spanish)
• Betting information: The Rays are favored on the money line at Fanduel.com at minus-118, and the Twins' money line odds are plus-102. On the run line, you can bet the Twins minus-1.5 at plus-162 odds, and the Rays plus-1.5 runs at minus-196 odds. The over/under is 9.5 runs.
• Weather: The forecast for 7 p.m. ET in Tampa calls for sunny skies with a temperature of 88 degrees. Sunset is at 8:19. Winds are out of the west at 9 mph, blowing out slightly to right field.

Here are the starting lineups for both teams:

Twins batting order

1. Ryan Jeffers DH
2. Trevor Larnach RF
3. Ty France 1B
4. Carlos Correa SS
5. Kody Clemens 2B
6. Willi Castro LF
7. Royce Lewis 3B
8. Christian Vazquez C
9. DaShawn Kiersey Jr. CF

Rays batting order

1. Chandler Simpson LF
2. Brandon Lowe DH
3. Junior Caminero 3B
4. Jonathan Aranda1B
5. Curtis Mead 2B
6. Kameron Misner CF
7. Jose Caballero SS
8. Danny Jansen C
9. Christopher Morel RF

Pitching matchup

• CHRIS PADDACK, Toronto: Chris Paddack is 2-4 with a 3.98 earned run average he's only allowed a total of three runs combined in his last three starts. This is his 11th start of the season and the 93rd of his career. ... The 29-year-old from Austin, Texas has never faced the Rays before. ...He has struggled a bit on the road this year, going 1-1 in five starts with a 4.97 ERA.

• ZACK LITTELL, Tampa Bay: Littell is making his 11th start of the season and his fourth ever against Minnesota. He's 2-5 with a 4.25 ERA. ... The 29-year-old from Burlington, N.C. lost his first five starts, but he's 3-0 in his next five and hasn't lost since April 22 in Arizona. ... Littell is doing a great job of closing out innings. Batters are hitting just .182 against him with two outs. ... The Rays are scoring only 2.88 runs a game for Littell, the fifth-lowest total in the American League. ... Four Twins in the starting lineup have hit homers against Littell —Larnach, France, Castro and Lewis.

Related Rays stories

• MEET THE OPPONENT: Former Rays favorite Rocco Baldelli is back in town with his Minnesota Twins for a three-game series starting Monday night. The Twins have been red hot in May. Here's a look at the series, and three things you need to know about the Baldelli's group. CLICK HERE

• SIMPSON MAKING HISTORY: Known for his blazing speed, Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson is making quite the impact for Kevin Cash's team. He's got some historic numbers. CLICK HERE

• UNCOMFORTABLE CONDITIONS: Blue Jays' manager John Schneider didn't appear real happy to be taking on the Rays in the Florida heat on Sunday. He said ''big league players should play in big-league stadiums.'' CLICK HERE: