Red Sox Beat Twins In Pitchers' Duel, 2-1 In Eleven Innings

The Minnesota Twins put forth a valiant effort on Monday night at Fenway Park, but once again couldn't generate any offense when it mattered, as they fell 2-1 in eleven innings to the Boston Red Sox. The loss is the Twins' third in a row after winning the series opener in Boston on Friday.

Runs figured to be in short supply for the Twins on this night. . .partially because their offense has been terrible all season, and partially because the Red Sox were sending Josh Beckett to the hill. However, Twins' starter Nick Blackburn was equal to the task. Blackburn allowed just one run to the Red Sox in 6.1 inning, and it came on a fifth-inning single by Adrian Gonzalez that scored Jason Varitek in the bottom of the fifth.

Minnesota tied the game in the top of the eighth, as Denard Span singled with one out and advanced to second base on a balk by Boston reliever Alfredo Aceves, who came on for Beckett to start the inning. Boston brought Jonathan Papelbon out of the bullpen to face Jason Kubel, but Kubel made Boston pay with a single to center to score Span and tie the game at one. Alexi Casilla then came in to run for Kubel. . .something that would become very important later.

The teams were tied at one after nine innings, so the fans at Fenway got free baseball on Monday night. In the tenth, Luke Hughes drew a one-out walk from Hideki Okajima, and Span got an infield single to give the Twins runners on first and second with one out. After Matt Tolbert struck out, Jason Kubel's spot in the order came up. . .but, as we mentioned earlier, that spot was now filled by Alexi Casilla. Casilla grounded into a fielder's choice that saw Hughes get thrown out at third, and the threat was over.

The Twins had another opportunity in the eleventh, as they had runners on first and second with one out, and runners on the corners with two out, but failed to get anybody home. Jim Hoey came on in the bottom of the eleventh to relieve Jose Mijares, who had successfully navigated the ninth and tenth innings. After J.D. Drew flew out to center to start the inning, Hoey walked Jed Lowrie, who was immediately pinch-run for by Jose Iglesias. Carl Crawford then doubled off of the Green Monster, and Matt Tolbert's relay throw from Ben Revere was not in time to get Iglesias, giving the Red Sox the 2-1 win.

Okajima got the victory for the Red Sox, his first decision on the 2011 season. Hoey took the loss for Minnesota, and it was also his first decision of the year.

Minnesota will return home tomorrow to start an abbreviated two-game series with the Detroit Tigers. Francisco Liriano (2-4, 6.61 ERA) will make his first start since his no-hitter last Tuesday in Chicago, and he will be opposed by Tigers' right-hander Rick Porcello (2-2, 3.93 ERA). First pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 7:10 PM Central time.

Twins Hope To Salvage Split In Beantown

After looking strong in the first game of their four-game set in Boston, the Minnesota Twins have come back down to earth, dropping two consecutive games and losing more ground in the American League Central.

Carl Pavano, the Twins' "ace," got pounded by the Red Sox on Mother's Day at Fenway Park, and now Nick Blackburn (2-4, 4.41 ERA) will attempt to stop the slide for the Twins on Monday night. It's going to be a tall order for Minnesota, as Boston will counter with one of baseball's best in right-hander Josh Beckett (2-1, 2.35). Beckett is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning, which could be a bad sign for the lowest-scoring offense in the big leagues.

Let's take a quick look at the lineup for tonight's game. . .first for the Minnesota Twins.

Denard Span, center field
Matt Tolbert, shortstop
Jason Kubel, designated hitter
Justin Morneau, first base
Danny Valencia, third base (is it just me, or is Valencia creeping up the order further every day)
Michael Cuddyer, right field
Ben Revere, left field
Rene Rivera, catcher
Luke Hughes, second base

Now, the lineup for the Boston Red Sox.

Jacoby Ellsbury, center field
Dustin Pedroia, second base
Adrian Gonzalez, first base
Kevin Youkilis, third base
David Ortiz, designated hitter
J.D. Drew, right field
Jed Lowrie, shortstop
Carl Crawford, left field (must be nice to be able to slot your new $140 million free agent acquisition in the eight-hole)
Jason Varitek, catcher

The first pitch for this one is scheduled for 6:10 PM Central time, and the game will be getting national coverage on ESPN. Be sure to check out the Game Thread over at Twinkie Town for discussion of the game, and we'll be back with the recap when it's all said and done.

Pavano Pounded Again As Twins Drop Second Straight

The Minnesota Twins lost their second straight game on Sunday afternoon, as right-hander Carl Pavano had his second straight disappointing start.

Pavano allowed seven runs on ten hits in five innings, and the Red Sox blasted the Twins after falling behind early, taking the third of this four-game set by a final score of 9-5 at Fenway Park. It was the second consecutive start that Pavano has allowed seven runs. Pavano now has the highest ERA of any of the Twins' starting pitchers, as his 6.64 is just a slight bit higher than Francisco Liriano's 6.61 mark.

The Twins actually jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Denard Span singled and stole second to get things started. After Trevor Plouffe walked and Justin Morneau struck out against Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jason Kubel singled to bring home Span. Michael Cuddyer's ground out moved the runners to second and third, and Danny Valencia brought home both runners with a single to center field.

Boston got one back on an RBI ground out by J.D. Drew in the bottom of the second, and then went to town in the bottom of the third when they put four runs on the board while batting around. Jason Varitek, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, and J.D. Drew all drove in runs for the Red Sox in that inning.

Danny Valencia got one of those runs back for the Twins when he hit a solo blast off the foul pole on top of the Green Monster to lead off the fifth, making it 5-4, but the Red Sox got two more in the bottom of the frame. The first came on a solo home run by Gonzalez, and the second came on what should have been an inning-ending double play, but Alexi Casilla made yet another error, allowing Youkilis to score.

The Red Sox extended the lead to 9-4 in the bottom of the seventh, as Jed Lowrie's double plated two more for Boston. The Twins closed out the scoring in the top of the eighth with an RBI single by Jason Kubel to give us a final score of 9-5.

Matsuzaka got the victory to even his record at 3-3 on the season, while the loss for Pavano drops his record to 2-4.

The series finale will take place tomorrow at Fenway Park, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 PM Central time. Nick Blackburn (2-4, 4.41 ERA) will take the mound for Minnesota, while the Red Sox will send Josh Beckett (2-1, 2.35) to the hill.

Pavano And Dice-K On Mother's Day At Fenway

The Minnesota Twins' offense had another rough outing on Saturday afternoon, as they managed just three hits off of a combined five Red Sox pitchers in a 4-0 loss. This afternoon at Fenway Park, the Twins will try to bounce back in the third of a four-game series.

Carl Pavano (2-3, 5.84 ERA) will be taking the hill for the Twins in this one. Pavano got roughed up in his last start, as he gave up 12 hits and seven runs in 5.1 innings in a 10-3 Twins loss to the Kansas City Royals. He will be opposed by Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-3, 4.33 ERA). Matsuzaka's numbers might not look great, but after getting off to a rough start to the 2011 season, the man they call Dice-K has a microscopic 0.47 ERA in his last three starts, allowing just one run, five hits, and eight walks in his last 19 innings pitched.

Here are the lineups for your Mother's Day matinee at Fenway Park.

Twins

Denard Span, center field
Trevor Plouffe, shortstop
Justin Morneau, first base
Jason Kubel, designated hitter
Michael Cuddyer, right field
Danny Valencia, third base
Ben Revere, left field
Drew Butera, catcher
Alexi Casilla, shortstop

Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury, center field
Dustin Pedroia, second base
Adrian Gonzalez, first base
Kevin Youkilis, third base
David Ortiz, designated hitter
J.D. Drew, right field
Jed Lowrie, shortstop
Carl Crawford, left field
Jason Varitek, catcher

Liriano's Next Start To Be Pushed Back

Twins Manage Just Three Hits In 4-0 Loss To Red Sox

One night after putting up nine runs, the Twins' offense returned to being the unit that we know and. . .well, not necessarily love, but expect.

Minnesota could manage just three hits on Saturday afternoon, as Clay Buchholz and four Red Sox relievers combined to shut the Twins down, taking the second game of the four-game set by a score of 4-0.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to Jed Lowrie's RBI single off of Twins' starter Brian Duensing (2-2, 3.00 ERA). Then, while the Twins were warming up for the top of the third inning, the skies opened up in Boston and the game was delayed for a little more than two hours. When the game resumed, Duensing had been lifted for the returning Kevin Slowey. The Red Sox then added to their lead in the bottom of the third, when Adrian Gonzalez hit a ground rule double to right field, and Kevin Youkilis brought him home with a single.

That was the only run that Slowey would allow, as he pitched 4.1 innings in his return. Glen Perkins got the last two outs of the seventh inning, and Alex Burnett came in to pitch the eighth. Burnett got the first two outs of the eighth in short order, but then gave up consecutive singles to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Carl Crawford, and then walked J.D. Drew to load the bases. Jacoby Ellsbury then singled to center, and the Red Sox found themselves with a 4-0 lead.

Clay Buchholz (3-3, 4.19 ERA), unlike Duensing, took the mound again after the rain delay, and wound up pitching five solid innings while allowing only two hits. Rich Hill, Matt Albers, and Daniel Bard each pitched a scoreless inning after that, with only Albers allowing a hit, and Jonathan Papelbon came in and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Two players were responsible for all three of the Twins hits. Justin Morneau beat out an infield single in the top of the first, and Michael Cuddyer got the other two Minnesota hits, a single to left-center in the fourth and a single to center in the seventh. The Twins did not even have a runner reach second base on the afternoon.

The same two teams will get together again on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch from Fenway Park scheduled for 12:35 PM Central time. The pitching match-up should be a good one, as Carl Pavano (2-3, 5.84 ERA) will head to the mound for the Twins, and Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-3, 4.33 ERA) will take the ball for the Red Sox.

Twins Look For Longest Winning Streak Of Season In Boston

The Minnesota Twins go into this afternoon's game at Fenway Park riding a three-game winning streak, and they'll be taking on a Boston Red Sox team that has dropped three consecutive decisions.

The Twins took it to Boston last night, registering their second-highest offensive output of the season with a 9-2 victory over the Red Sox. Young shortstop Trevor Plouffe led the way for Minnesota with two hits, including a solo home run to start the scoring, and three runs scored.

No word yet as to whether or not Boston manager Terry Francona will be in the dugout for this one. Francona was ejected in the second inning of last night's contest after bumping umpire Angel Hernandez while arguing a balk call against Boston starter Tim Wakefield.

Clay Buchholz (2-1, 4.81 ERA) will be on the mound for the Red Sox this afternoon, while the Twins will give the ball to left-hander Brian Duensing (2-1, 2.91). For the discussion of the game, be sure to check out Twinkie Town's Game Thread, and we'll be back here with the recap when it's all said and done.

Plouffe, There It Is! Twins Dump Red Sox, 9-2

It took a while for Trevor Plouffe to get his turn at shortstop for the Twins this season. If he continues playing like this, it's going to take a much longer while for anybody to displace him.

Minnesota's latest shortstop went 2-for-4 on the night, including a home run, and scored three times as the Twins amassed their second-highest run total of the year in defeating the Boston Red Sox 9-2 on Friday night in Boston.

Plouffe got things started for the Twins with a solo home run off of Tim Wakefield (0-1, 5.73 ERA) in the top of the first. Minnesota extended their lead to 4-0 in the top of the second after the Twins loaded the bases with nobody out. With the bases loaded, Drew Butera flew out to right field and Alexi Casilla struck out, making it look like the Twins might squander the opportunity. Denard Span wouldn't let that happen, however, as he laced a single to right field to score Michael Cuddyer and Danny Valencia and allow Ben Revere to advance to third. Revere then trotted home after Wakefield was called for a balk when it appeared Span had been picked off of first base.

The balk call incensed Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who charged out of the dugout to argue with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez, who made the call. In the midst of the argument, Francona bumped Hernandez, getting himself ejected and likely earning himself a vacation from managing in the process.

The Red Sox closed the gap to 4-2 thanks to solo home runs by J.D. Drew (in the second) and Adrian Gonzalez (in the fourth), but the Twins struck for four more runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 8-2. Plouffe scored the final run in the top of the sixth on another balk call on the Red Sox, this one against reliever Alfredo Aceves.

Scott Baker (2-2, 2.97) pitched eight solid innings on the evening, scattering seven hits and allowing the two solo home runs for all of the Red Sox scoring. Joe Nathan came on for the ninth inning and faced four batters, sandwiching a walk to Kevin Youkilis in-between retiring the heart of the Red Sox lineup.

The same two teams will get together tomorrow, with the Twins looking for what would be a season-best fourth consecutive win. Right-hander Clay Buchholz (2-3, 4.81 ERA) will take the hill for the Red Sox, and the Twins will send lefty Brian Duensing (2-1, 2.91) to the mound. First pitch will be early, as it is scheduled for 12:10 PM Central time.

Twins At Red Sox: Twins Hope To Keep Winning Streak Going

The Minnesota Twins have pulled themselves out of the basement of the American League Central, and now continue their road trip with a four-game excursion to Boston to take on another team that has failed to live up to expectations in 2011, the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox find themselves tied for last place in the American League East with the Toronto Blue Jays, currently sitting with a 14-17 record. Their last game was an 11-0 pummeling at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday afternoon. That was their second straight loss after winning three straight.

The Twins, on the other hand, won both halves of their two-game series against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, including Francisco Liriano's no-hitter on Tuesday night. That raised Minnesota's record to 11-18 and put them a game and a half clear of the White Sox for the basement of the American League Central.

The pitching match-up for Friday night's contest will see knuckleballer Tim Wakefield taking the mound for the Red Sox, bringing with him a 4.50 ERA and not having figured in a decision yet this year. The Twins will counter with right-hander Scott Baker, who has a 1-2 record to go with a 3.13 ERA so far this season.

Be sure to check out the Game Thread at Twinkie Town for more in-depth discussion of tonight's contest, and be sure to check back here for the recap.