Red Sox lose wild one to Twins 8-6
After a surprisingly successful weekend in Texas, the Red Sox headed to Minnesota to open a three game series against the Twins at Target Field looking for their first three game win streak of the season. It will have to wait.
Chris Parmalee cracked a two-out, two-run, walkoff homer off Andrew Miller in the bottom of the ninth to give the Twins a wild 8-6 victory over the Red Sox.
Despite the best efforts of David Ortiz, who went 4-5 with 4 RBI, and the rest of the Red Sox offense, the team could not overcome a bad start by Jake Peavy.
May 13, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) hits a home run in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Ortiz got Boston off quickly with a solo home run in the top of the first off Twins starter Ricky Nolasco to make it 1-0. It would be the first of two on the night for Ortiz, who again reminded the twin cities what they gave up on all those years ago.
Peavy started for the Red Sox. He was moved up a day in the rotation ahead of Felix Doubront as manager John Farrell looked ahead a bit to this weekend’s ALCS rematch at Fenway vs Detroit. Farrell said he prefers the right handed Peavy face the righty leaning Tigers on Sunday and pitching him in this game put him in line for that.
Maybe Farrell shouldn’t have worried about the Tigers as Peavy had issues vs the light hitting Twins starting in the second inning.
After allowing a one out walk to Parmalee, Eduardo Nunez took Peavy deep for a two-run homer to put the Twins ahead 2-1. And Peavy was not done. A single, walk, double and single followed for the next four hitters and before anyone could blink the Twins were up 5-1 after two.
Ortiz hit his second homer in the top of the fourth, another solo blast, to make it 5-2, that tied him for third with Jim Rice on the Red Sox all-time home run list with 382.
He later added an RBI single in the sixth to drive home Shane Victorino (3-5, 2R, RBI), who tripled to lead off the inning to cut it to 6-3 and singled in a run as part of a three-run rally in the seventh when the Sox tied the game at 6-6.
But Peavy was just bad tonight and the early hole his pitching created for the Sox was the main reason for this loss. Peavy’s final line: 4.1 IP, 9H, 6ER, 2BB, 1K, 91 pitches and terrible location all night.
The series continues tonight at 8:10 EDT as Doubront goes for the Sox against the Twins’ Kevin Correia with the Sox still searching for a season defining winning streak.