Alex Verdugo made sure the Boston Red Sox did not get down on themselves Thursday afternoon.
The Red Sox fell 4-3 to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, their first loss since April 4, but it certainly wasn't for lack of effort. Manager Alex Cora thought Boston did enough to win, but came up just short against the reining American League Central champions.
Verdugo continued to stay hot and tied the game with a three-run double in the eighth inning, but the Twins ended up winning it with a ninth-inning walk-off. Aside from sparking the offense, Verdugo also was a voice in the clubhouse postgame.
"I told everybody (after the game), 'Hey, this is a tough one, but we start again tomorrow,'" Verdugo said. "We went from getting 14 in a row retired to a swing of the bat, being tied 3-3 and having a chance to take the lead.
"You can't go too easy on us."
Verdugo and the Red Sox look to get back in the win column Friday night when they welcome the Chicago White Sox to Fenway Park. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.