Red Sox Beat Minnesota Twins 8-1, Bogaerts Has 3-Run Homer
MINNEAPOLIS -- Xander Bogaerts had four hits, including a three-run homer, to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Target Field.
Bogaerts' four-hit night was his first of the season and eighth of his career. He leads the majors with 88 hits this season.
Boston also got 7 1/3 strong innings from right-hander Steven Wright, who held the Twins without a run through seven innings and improved to 4-3 away from Fenway Park this season. Wright hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of his six road starts this season and has won his last four starts overall.
Wright (7-4) allowed an unearned run on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 2.09.
Boston's Dustin Pedroia had three hits, knocked in a run and also scored a run, extending his hitting streak to 16 games -- the longest active streak in the majors.
Jackie Bradley Jr. had two hits, including a two-run triple.
Boston pounded out 16 hits, with eight of its nine starters registering at least one hit.
Robbie Grossman had a hit and walked twice for the Twins. He has reached base safely in 19 of 20 games since joining the club on May 19. Grossman also knocked in Minnesota's only run on an RBI groundout off Wright in the eighth inning.
Twins starter Tyler Duffey was roughed up for six runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking none and striking out three.
Duffey (2-5) has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his last five starts and carries an 8.36 ERA over that span.
The starting pitchers were on point early before Bogaerts' seventh homer in the fifth inning opened the scoring.
The Red Sox had a chance to draw first blood one inning earlier, following an error by Twins first baseman Byung Ho Park, who fumbled a routine throw from third which allowed Boston to put runners at the corners with one out.
Duffey followed by striking out Bradley and coaxing a groundout to first by Travis Shaw.
Minnesota wasn't so lucky the second time around as Dozier's gaffe kept the fifth inning alive.
A one-out infield single by Christian Vazquez set up Mookie Betts, who grounded to third baseman Trevor Plouffe. He fired to second for one, but Dozier dropped the transfer.
Instead of getting out of the inning with a double play, Pedroia singled to right field before Bogaerts blasted a 0-1 fastball from Duffey 430 feet into the bullpens located beyond the left-center field fence.
Wright navigated around trouble in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with two outs, but Joe Mauer grounded back to the mound to end the inning.
NOTES: Red Sox DH David Ortiz was honored in a ceremony before the game. Ortiz began his major league career in Minnesota, debuting with the Twins in 1997 before being released and signing with the Red Sox following the 2002 season. This weekend marks Ortiz's final trip to the Twin Cities. ... Minnesota RHP J.T. Chargois was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Chargois has a combined 1.13 ERA with 11 saves and 34 strikeouts in 24 innings between Rochester and Double-A Chattanooga this season. ... Twins RHP Phil Hughes was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised right knee. Hughes sustained the injury in the eighth inning on Thursday when he was hit on a comebacker by the Miami's J.T. Realmuto. It was Hughes' first appearance of the season out of the bullpen after compiling a 5.97 ERA in 11 starts to begin the 2016 campaign. ... Twins RHP Trevor May was placed on the 15-day disabled list with lower back spasms. May did not pitch between June 2 through Tuesday and allowed all three men he faced to reach and eventually score on Thursday. An effective pitcher out of the bullpen for the Twins last season, May has struggled this year with an 0-2 record and 6.08 ERA in 26 2/3 innings.
