The contest ushers in a new era for the Twins, who won two World Series in the old Metrodome, a house of horrors for some opposing ballclubs since it opened in 1982. Boston was 10-19 in its last nine years there.
The Sox are also 0-4 in games in which they were the opponent in the first game at another team’s park. The last time that happened? A 4-1 loss in the opener at Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923.
There was concern that the weather in sometimes frigid Minneapolis would cause problems early in the season. Temperatures should not be an issue for the opener, but there may be rain in the area.
WHEN AND WHERE
Red Sox (3-3) vs. Twins (5-2)
Monday, April 12, 4 p.m. ET (NESN)
Target Field, Minneapolis, Minn.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sox have won each of the last three season series but are just 116-167 all-time in the Twin Cities.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LHP Jon Lester (0-0, 7.20 ERA) vs. RHP Carl Pavano (1-0, 1.29 ERA)
Lester continued a trend of struggling out of the gate when he gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in five innings of Tuesday’s 6-4 loss to the Yankees.
He is 2-4 with a 4.94 ERA in 13 career starts in March and April, but 40-12 with a 3.50 mark the rest of the season. Like many of his teammates, Lester did not have great success at the Metrodome, going 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA in two starts there.
Pavano had a pretty good stretch when he came to Minnesota midway through 2009, and he started his first full season with the Twins in fine fashion. He allowed a run on six hits in seven innings to lead the club to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Wednesday.
LINEUPS
| Red Sox | Twins |
|---|---|
| Marco Scutaro, SS Dustin Pedroia, 2B Victor Martinez, C Kevin Youkilis, 1B David Ortiz, DH Adrian Beltre, 3B JD Drew, RF Mike Cameron, CF Jeremy Hermida, LF |
Denard Span, CF Orlando Hudson, 2B Joe Mauer, C Justin Morneau, 1B Michael Cuddyer, RF Jason Kubel, DH Delmon Young, LF J.J. Hardy, SS Nick Punto, 2B |
STAT SHEET
Red Sox
- Third baseman Adrian Beltre has hit safely in each of his five starts with Boston, going 8-for-20 (.400).
- The Sox are 74-36 (.673) against American League Central opponents since the start of 2007.
- Second baseman Dustin Pedroia has five home runs in his last eight regular-season games dating back to the end of 2009.
Twins
- Reigning AL batting champ Joe Mauer is batting .381 (8-for-21).
- Outfielder Delmon Young has seven RBIs in 19 at-bats.
- The Minnesota bullpen has allowed three runs in 18 2/3 innings, good for an AL-best 1.45 ERA
BLACK AND BLUE
Red Sox
- Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was sent for X-rays after colliding with Beltre in the ninth inning Sunday. Beltre’s knee went into Ellsbury’s side.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka yielded a pair of hits in five scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday. On the disabled list with a neck strain, he is expected to make two more starts at the minor league level.
- Boof Bonser, on the disabled list with a groin injury, gave up three runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings in a start at Pawtucket on Thursday. He threw 76 pitches, 43 for strikes.
Twins
- Right hander Clay Condrey was placed on the disabled list earlier this month with a right elbow flexor strain. He is scheduled to be shut down for 10 to 14 days, meaning he could test the arm this week.
OUTLOOK
The Red Sox are simply secondary players in this one. But once the hoopla ends there could be a pretty good matchup to take in. Lester will be looking to fend off his usual early-season woes and will have a chance to do so against a lineup filled with left-handers. Or so it would seem.
The Twins are raking southpaws to the tune of a .339 average this year. They are hitting just .200 against righties.
Pavano is 2-3 with a 7.07 ERA against the Red Sox in his career. They have hit .360 against the veteran righty.
All hands should be on deck in the bullpens as Tuesday is an off-day. The three-game series resumes Wednesday.
