Twins starter Kyle Gibson (3-6) tossed eight one-run innings for the victory, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out six. On Saturday, the Twins roared back with five runs in the seventh inning en route to an 11-9 win. Ride with the Red Sox to inflict some-across-the-board damage and head into tomorrow’s opener vs. Detroit on a high note.
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Gibson navigated it better than anyone else has lately against the Red Sox, who had won three straight and nine of 10. Dustin Pedroia is up there as well on his 116 hits, 62 runs and 40 RBI so far.
A police officer stands guard near the Boston Red Sox dugout between innings of the team’s baseball game against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park, Friday, July 22, 2016, in Boston.
Up until that point, Gibson was very good. He was replaced in right field by Martinez.
Kintzler got his seventh save, preserving the lead in a wild bottom half of the ninth.
Rodriguez pitched well despite suffering the loss as he struck out eight and gave up six hits along with two runs in five-and-a-third innings. Betts is the Red Sox leader in hits and is second on the team in home runs (20) and RBI (63).
“He’s always banged up”, Minnesota manager Paul Molitor told reporters before Friday’s game.
That would be enough to bring Sox skipper John Farrell to the mound to take the ball from Price and give it to Clay Buchholz – the pitcher he had seemed to be avoiding using this month, and essentially said he would only be used when the team has a significant lead. We hit the ball well, we ran the bases well. 879 OPS, he has started all but one of the Sox’s 94 games and played 820 of 840 innings.
Rodriguez was responsible for the run, one of two on the night. “It just doesn’t work out all the time”, said David Ortiz, who grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the ninth. And of course, as soon as the Sox had pulled within one, the Twins pushed away again, scoring an eleventh on a blast from Sano in the eighth, the final bit of scoring in this horrific game.
Speaking of the Sox bullpen, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald believes that the Red Sox need to find a reliever or two with closer Craig Kimbrel and setup man Koji Uehara now on the 15-day disabled list.
Price (9-7, 4.36 ERA) has been durable, if nothing else, in his recent starts at Fenway Park.
For a second consecutive game, Betts homered in the first inning.
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The Red Sox try to salvage a split with the Twins on Sunday afternoon when they send Rick Porcello (12-2, 3.47 ERA) to oppose Tommy Milone (3-2, 4.71 ERA). He’s expected back Sunday. Sox 1-4. The offense got back to work in the bottom of the 2nd and got the Sox back in the lead. Porcello was reached for four runs – one earned – over seven innings without factoring in the decision at Minnesota on June 12.WALK-OFFS1.
