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.