Twins Suffer 15 – 4 Loss To Red Sox Saturday
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Xander Bogaerts tacked four more hits on his majors-most total, including a two-run homer as the Boston Red Sox broke away late to beat the Minnesota Twins 15-4 on Saturday.
The highest-scoring team in the majors managed to post a season high in runs, with five apiece in the eighth and ninth against the league-worst Twins.
Bogaerts also doubled, scored four runs and drove in three.
Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a three-run homer in the first, Sandy Leon went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and David Ortiz had three more hits against his former team. Mookie Betts and Chris Young drove in two runs each.
Kurt Suzuki hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning off Eduardo Rodriguez, but the Twins managed only one hit against five Red Sox relievers over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Heath Hembree (3-0) was the first one, retiring Byung Ho Park on an infield popup to finish the fifth with two runners on base and the score 4-all.
Bogaerts raised his batting average to .358, a day after producing four hits and a homer. He doubled in a run in the first inning and used some heads-up hustle to score the go-ahead run in the sixth.
The 23-year-old shortstop led off with a single, then beat a relay to second base on a ground ball by Ortiz. When Ortiz was thrown out at first, Bogaerts never stopped running and slid safely into third.
Hanley Ramirez's sacrifice fly off Kyle Gibson (0-4) made it 5-4 and prompted a roar from the thousands of Red Sox fans in attendance at Target Field this weekend.
At the time, the run held significance. By the end of a sweltering game that crawled to completion in 3 hours, 45 minutes, that hardly mattered.
Twins right fielder Oswaldo Arcia dropped a routine catch at the warning track in the eighth, right before the homer by Bogaerts. Reliever Buddy Boshers overthrew an easy two-out comebacker to the mound for another error that inning, allowing Ortiz to score before a two-run single by Leon.
Rodriguez tied his career high with four walks, in his shortest of three starts since returning from the disabled list.
Gibson pitched for the first time since April 22, returning from the disabled list after shoulder and back problems.
CATCHING ON
Leon, who got his first start at catcher since being summoned last weekend as an injury fill-in from Triple-A Pawtucket, is 5 for 5 since the promotion for a perfect 1.000 batting average. In 209 previous major league at-bats, Leon hit .187. Leon did have two passed balls behind the plate on Saturday.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: Travis Shaw, who entered the game in a 3-for-27 slide, was dropped down to the eighth spot in the lineup, the lowest he's been the season. Manager John Farrell said Josh Rutledge could play more at 3B against left-handers, as he did on Thursday at San Francisco.
Twins: With RHP Phil Hughes likely out at least until September with a cracked bone in his left leg, he'll have friend Glen Perkins to keep him company during the rehab process. Perkins, the three-time All-Star closer who hasn't pitched since April 10 because of shoulder trouble, had to cut short early a bullpen session on Friday due to discomfort. The LHP is headed for a second medical opinion.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (7-2, 4.04 ERA) will take the mound on Sunday, having taken a no-decision in each of his last three turns. This will be his 26th career start against the Twins, his most against any opponent.
Twins: Rookie RHP Pat Dean (1-2, 4.75 ERA) will pitch the series finale, making his fifth start. He's coming off his shortest one, 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday against Miami with seven hits, one walk and four runs allowed.
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