The Boston Red Sox took down the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Tuesday afternoon at snowy Target Field to earn their seventh win in a row.
Boston starter Martin Perez allowed the first two runs of the game but eventually settled in to offer another solid outing. The Red Sox’s bullpen held Minnesota scoreless over the final four innings.
Bobby Dalbec had his best game of the season, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI doubles, one of which tied the game and the other giving Boston a 3-2 lead. Christian Arroyo continued playing solid all-around baseball, providing a pair of base hits along with a couple of great plays at second base.
Rafael Devers went yard in the top of the ninth inning for his fourth home run of the season.
The Red Sox improved to 7-3 with the win while the Twins dropped to 5-5 with the loss.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Cold.
The temperatures were down, it was snowing and both offenses largely were quiet.
ON THE BUMP
— Perez once again gave the Red Sox exactly what they’re looking for from a No. 5 starter.
The veteran lefty struggled in the first inning, loading the bases without recording a single out. He eventually allowed a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly and a groundout. Perez ultimately gave up just the two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two over five innings. He also hit two batters.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Perez, who now has a 4.50 ERA, battled and gave his team a chance to win. You’ll take this kind of performance every time if you’re the Red Sox.
— Hirokazu Sawamura worked around a Xander Bogaerts error to pitch a scoreless sixth inning. He also got help from Arroyo, who turned a double play while robbing Andrelton Simmons of a base hit.
Sawamura still hasn’t allowed an earned run this season. He has endured some command issues, but he nevertheless has showcased a high-90s fastball and a potentially devastating splitter. The Japanese right-hander also lives at the bottom of the strike zone.
— Adam Ottavino rebounded from Saturday’s tough outing against the Baltimore Orioles by pitching a scoreless seventh inning.
— Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth despite issuing a walk and allowing a base hit. He looked more in control than he has at any point this season.
— Matt Barnes twirled a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Twins starter J.A. Happ kept the Red Sox’s bats at bay through 4 2/3 innings but fell apart before recording the final out in the fifth.
— Hunter Renfroe got Boston on the board with his first homer in a Red Sox uniform. The solo shot bounced off the center field wall before landing beyond the fence.
— Arroyo then hit a single to center, setting the stage for Dalbec’s game-tying double, which forced Happ out of the game.
— Arroyo led off the eighth with a double off Twins reliever Randy Dobnak. After working a 3-1 count, Dalbec delivered a go-ahead double, also hit to the opposite field.
— Alex Verdugo walked with one out to put two men on for J.D. Martinez, who scalded a 1-0 Dobnak offering but grounded into an inning-ending double play.
— Devers hit a one-out solo shot off Jorge Alcala, giving the Red Sox third baseman homers in four straight games.
— Martinez entered the game absolutely on fire but went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He had a chance to hit at least one extra-base hit in his first nine games of the season, which would have been a Major League Baseball record.
— Kiké Hernández, Christian Vazquez and Verdugo went hitless.
— The Red Sox finished with seven hits.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Why not watch Tuesday’s simulated game from Worcester in its entirety?
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Twins will play a doubleheader Wednesday at Target Field. Game 1 will start at 2:10 p.m. ET, with the nightcap starting roughly 30 minutes after the final pitch. Both games will be seven-inning affairs.
Nathan Eovaldi will start the opener, with Eduardo Rodriguez toeing the rubber for the Red Sox in Game 2.
