Final 9th, Red Sox 11-2: The Red Sox have won back-to-back games for the second time this season.
The team was buoyed by an all-around effort offensively and has combined to tally 30 hits over the past two games.
In the beginning, Josh Beckett couldn't find a rhythm, walking three batters in a row in the first, but he managed to bounce back and provide a strong pitching effort.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 11-2: What else can you say about Mike Aviles right now? He's tallied his fourth hit of the night, raising his average to .333.
Like I said earlier, he's making Bobby Valentine look really smart for putting him at leadoff.
Bottom 8th, Red Sox 11-2: Scott Atchison came back out for the eighth and handled business.
He struck out Joe Mauer and Clete Thomas to maintain his momentum as a stalwart in the bullpen.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 11-2: Hey, a Lars Anderson sighting. And like the majority of the lineup, Anderson — who was pinch hitting for Gonzalez — collected a hit.
He also went opposite field on this one, a trend he displayed in his at-bats in Fort Myers.
Nick Punto, who played seven seasons for the Twins, got a little love from the Minnesota fans when he got a pinch-hitting chance.
Bottom 7th, Red Sox 10-2: After tossing 100 pitches, Josh Beckett was yanked for Scott Atchison.
Heading into the game, Atchison was the only member of the bullpen — who was on the Opening Day roster — that owned an ERA under three.
He kept it consistent with a 1-2-3 inning to shut down the Twins.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 10-2: Looks like Mike Aviles and Ryan Sweeney are human after all. They were both retired quickly in that frame.
But here's the good news for the Red Sox — every single hitter in the order except Cody Ross has recorded a hit. Six players have multi-hit games so far and that number could increase.
Bottom 6th, Red Sox 10-2: Josh Beckett turned it up another notch in the sixth, striking out the entire side.
He leaned heavily on the changeup in this one. In the beginning of the spring, Beckett said getting the feel back for his changeup was the priority. Well, there you go.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 10-2: Cody Ross struck out swinging there, but you can't deny the scorching start that he's gotten off to.
He's already unloaded a third of his home run total from the entire 2011 season, considering he only hit 14 long balls back then.
Bottom 5th, Red Sox 10-2: Josh Beckett lucked out in the first inning, when the umpire opted not to throw him out for yapping.
Ever since, Beckett has been cruising and rebounded from a 37-pitch inning in the first. His only hiccup was allowing an RBI double to Danny Valencia in the fifth.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 10-1: Dustin Pedroia ripped an RBI double, extending his hitting streak to four games.
Adrian Gonzalez and Mike Aviles both collected their third hits of the game, including RBI doubles, respectively.
The rout is beginning and the Red Sox have eclipsed the double-digit mark once again.
Bottom 4th, Red Sox 7-1: Marlon Byrd is moving around pretty nicely in center field and made another impressive catch.
The Red Sox lost a Gold Glove winner with Jacoby Ellsbury out for the first half of the year, but the combination of Repko and Byrd could replace him defensively, at least. Offensively, not so much.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 7-1: Now, you can see why Ben Cherington wanted to keep Mike Aviles in the lineup. So much that he was willing to convert Aviles into an outfielder.
Aviles swung well again, belting a shot to left field for his third homer of the season. I wrote about his transition to the leadoff spot back when Valentine first threw him into the fire.
Adrian Gonzalez also contributed an RBI and elevated his average to .290.
Bottom 3rd, Red Sox 5-1: Josh Beckett put himself in a bit of a bind again, allowing a single and double to Mauer and Willingham, respectively.
That was only with one out.
But he bounced back, getting Morneau to line out and Doumit to fly out to Marlon Byrd, who made a nifty diving catch. Byrd did say he wanted to provide some good defensive help.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-1: David Ortiz blasted that two-run shot with authority and it was nowhere to be found after clearing the wall.
Cody Ross almost added his sixth bomb of the year, but it fell well short of the warning track.
But what else can you say about Ortiz? At 36, he's still crushing the ball like he's in his prime.
Bottom 2nd, Red Sox 3-1: After throwing 37 pitches in the first inning, Beckett was much more efficient with nine pitches in that one.
Needless to say, his location was better in that inning and didn't have any need to shout at the umpire after this frame.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 3-1: Kelly Shoppach provided a jolt to the inning, belting a double off the right field wall that nearly went for a home run.
But the top of the Red Sox' order couldn't bring him in, moving him right over to third, but that's it.
It's really looking like Shoppach will be Josh Beckett's catcher moving forward, even though Bobby Valentine has said he doesn't believe in that philosophy.
Bottom 1st, Red Sox 3-1: Josh Beckett couldn't find the strike zone to start off that inning. He walked Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau on successive at-bats.
He issued a free pass to Morneau with the bases loaded and finished with a high 37-pitch total in that inning, which could be a cause for concern.
Mid 1st, Red Sox 3-0: With that RBI single, Ryan Sweeney has now extended his hit streak to six games. He's up to seven RBIs at this point.
David Ortiz chipped in an RBI, hitting a single to the opposite field. He's had a strong chunk of opposite field hits, which obviously means he's seeing the ball well right now.
7 p.m.: Here are the lineups.
Red Sox
Mike Aviles, SS
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Cody Ross, LF
Marlon Byrd, CF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Josh Beckett, P
Twins
Denard Span, CF
Jamey Carroll, SS
Joe Mauer, 1B
Josh Willingham, LF
Justin Morneau, DH
Ryan Doumit, C
Danny Valencia, 3B
Chris Parmelee, RF
Trevor Plouffe, 2B
Nick Blackburn, P
8:33 a.m. ET: The Red Sox (5-10) snapped a five-game losing streak Monday with a win over the Twins (5-12). With a win under the belt, the team will look to start a winning streak of its own and will rely on Josh Beckett to help start the process.
Beckett, who is 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA, surrendered three runs over seven innings against the Rangers in his previous start for a second straight quality outing. He will go up against Nick Blackburn, who is 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA. He battled a bit of shoulder stiffness earlier in the season. Blackburn owns a 3.21 career ERA against the Red Sox.
For analysis, follow NESN.com's live blog. Be sure to tune in to NESN for the game. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
