Mookie Betts provided all of Boston’s production at the plate for the second consecutive night, only this time around it wasn’t enough.
Betts collected two of the Red Sox’s four hits, a solo homer and a double, in their 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Despite Nathan Eovaldi throwing five innings of one-run ball, Boston pitchers combined for nine walks on the night (a season-high).
Martin Perez went six innings for Minnesota, giving up just two hits and one earned run.
The Red Sox fell to 75-65 with the loss, while the Twins moved to 87-53.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Cold.
The bats never got going on Thursday night.
ON THE BUMP
— Eovaldi looked sharp, pitching four one-hit frames until he ran into some trouble in the fifth.
The right-hander walked the bases loaded to kick off the inning before getting C.J. Cron to ground into a double play. The tying run came in to score, but that would do it for damage in the fifth, as Eovaldi managed to escape an ugly scenario to finish his outing.
Other than allowing four walks, Eovaldi was solid, giving up just one run and one hit with three strikeouts.
— Marcus Walden surrendered a walk in the sixth, but induced an inning-ending double play.
— Control problems got the Red Sox into trouble again in the seventh when Andrew Cashner walked the bases loaded with two outs. He’d get the hook after his third walk of the inning.
— Matt Barnes came in to relieve Cashner with the bases juiced and gave up an RBI-base hit to Willians Astudillo, making it 2-1 Twins. The right-hander got Max Kepler to strike out in the next at-bat, limiting the damage to one run.
Barnes returned for the eighth and retired the side in order.
— Colten Brewer had two runners on with one out in the ninth, but got Cron to ground into the fourth double play of the night to end the inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Betts broke the scoreless tie in the fourth by ringing a solo homer off Pesky’s Pole in right field for his third dinger in two nights. The homer was his 26th of the year.
— Betts provided the team’s second hit of the night in sixth when he roped a two-out double off the Green Monster for another multi-hit evening just one night after going 4-for-5 with five RBI. The two-bagger was his 40th double of the season.
After walking Xander Bogaerts, a throwing error put runners on second and third with two down, but Perez was able to get out of the inning unscathed.
— With two down in the ninth and Rafael Devers on first, J.D. Martinez smacked one off the Green Monster, only to have Devers get gunned down at home plate to end the game.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Boston’s arms did not have great command on Thursday.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox begin a four-game set with the New York Yankees on Friday night at Fenway Park. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
