BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Minnesota’s Byron Buxton homered and Twin Cities’ DH Ryan Jeffers added two hits and two RBIs to help the visiting Twins defeat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Sunday. Buxton hit his seventh home run of the season on the game’s first pitch, and Jeffers had a two-run single with two outs in the seventh that erased a 3-1 deficit.
It remained 3-3 until Harrison Bader doubled against Justin Slaten (0-3) in the eighth inning. Carlos Correa scored on the play to give the Twins a 4-3 lead. Trevor Larnach followed with a single that drove in Bader to make it 5-3.
Boston’s Wilyer Abreu collected three hits, including a solo home run in the eighth inning that cut Minnesota’s lead to 5-4, but Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve the one-run lead and earn his fourth save.
Louis Varland got the win (2-3) for pitching one inning of scoreless relief. The victory gave Minnesota two wins in the three-game series.
Boston starter Garrett Crochet exited the mound after five innings (89 pitches). He gave up a run on four hits, walked two and struck out six.
Minnesota’s Chris Paddack also pitched the first five innings. He allowed three runs on five hits, walked two and recorded two strikeouts.
Carlos Narvaez gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second when his single drove in Abreu and Romy Gonzalez, both of whom singled earlier in the inning.
The Red Sox extended their lead to 3-1 in the third. Alex Bregman led off the inning with a walk, moved to third on Abreu’s single and scored on Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly.
The Twins tied the game in the seventh against reliever Garrett Whitlock. Jeffers’ two-run single drove in Bader and Christian Vazquez.
Correa had two hits in the victory. Boston received two hits from Ceddanne Rafaela.
–Field Level Media