David Price’s seventh start of the 2017 season didn’t begin the way he would’ve liked.
The Minnesota Twins jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox after Brian Dozier led off the game with a long double and was later plated by a Joe Mauer groundout. The Twins would strike again in the fourth inning, scoring two runs on three hits in the frame to increase their lead to 3-0.
But Price would settle in, and kept Minnesota off the scoreboard following the messy fourth frame. The left-hander battled through seven innings, limiting the Twins to just those three runs on six hits. And after the Boston offense came alive with 10 hits, the Red Sox capitalized on Price’s resilient outing with a 6-3 win in the series finale.
Price especially was impressive in his seventh and final inning. After entering the frame with a pitch count over 100, the lefty sat down the side in order, including two strikeouts. And Price’s performance in the latter stages of the game didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.
“Early they scored a run, but from then on he threw the ball well,” Mookie Betts said, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “He had a big seventh inning when he came in and went 1-2-3 over 100 pitches. I think we had to win the game after something like that.”
The victory was Price’s third of the season, and lowered his ERA to 4.61. Still, the veteran isn’t exactly pleased with how things have gone in the 2017 campaign.
“Not really,” Price said when asked if he was pleased with how he’s throwing the ball. “I have a 4.00 (ERA), or something over 4.00. That’s no good.”
Price certainly is trending in the right direction, though. After coming off the disabled list in late May, he’s strung together a handful of starts in which he’s gone deep in the ballgame. And if he can continue to pitch anything like he did Thursday, he will be just fine.
Here are some other notes from Red Sox vs. Twins.
— Betts got the Red Sox on the board with a solo home run in the fourth inning. He leads the American League with 113 extra-base hits since 2016.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. continued his hot streak with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. He’s batting .350 with nine doubles, five home runs and a 1.039 OPS since May 30.
— Hanley Ramirez blasted a home run in the sixth inning in his first game back after missing the last three with an injury. A Ramirez longball typically bodes well for the Red Sox, as they are 20-4 in games the slugger goes deep.
— Tzu-Wei Lin had a pair of firsts in his major league career. His first multi-hit game (2-for-4) included his first career triple.
— Craig Kimbrel set a Fenway Park record with his 30th consecutive save at the venue.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
