Red Sox Notes: David Hamilton, Brandon Walter Notch MLB Accolades

The Red Sox were shut out by the Twins on Thursday at Target Field, but it was a day of firsts for a pair of Boston players.

Minnesota pitcher Joe Ryan made efficient work of the Red Sox with a complete-game shutout, which was the first for a Twins pitcher since 2018. Boston only managed three hits against Ryan, but one of those came from David Hamilton in his second Major League Baseball game.

“Really good. Good jumps,” manager Alex Cora told reporters of Hamilton’s performance. “The arm, it looks different, but whenever he needs it, it’s there. It was a good day for him. …”

Hamilton’s father was emotional seeing his son make his major league debut Wednesday, and his mother became emotional when he got his first major league hit, according to NESN’s Jahmai Webster.

“My mom, she was crying again when she saw me,” Hamilton told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Everybody was happy, though. It was great.”

Hamilton said it was “one of the best feelings of his life” to have his parents watch him from the stands. And he confirmed his parents would make the trip to Chicago for Boston’s weekend series against the White Sox.

Brandon Walter was recalled from Triple-A Worcester ahead of the series final, and he made his major league debut in the sixth inning. He underwent Tommy John surgery while in college in 2018, and the left-hander now is the 13th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. Walter threw three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, and he gave up three runs off six hits.

“He did good,” Alex Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “… Overall, a really good one. Six and two-thirds, gave us what we needed. It just happened that they cashed in early in the game.”

Here are more notes from Thursday’s Red Sox-Twins game:

— Boston lost the final two games of the series after winning the first two. It had a team batting average of .262 with a plus-5 run differential. The starters amassed a 4.66 ERA and the bullpen had a 3.94 ERA.

— Cora told reporters the team would evaluate their options when it came to Walter’s future availability.

— Boston acquired a reliever from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who might assist the team amid its injury woes.

— The Red Sox have an off-day Monday after their weekend series against Chicago, and Cora told reporters the team would evaluate Tanner Houck through the off day and heading into the All-Star break.

— The Red Sox will move on to face the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday. First pitch is scheduled at 8:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action on NESN.