The Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox meet for he fourth and final game of a four-game set on Monday night at Fenway Park
Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox
Minnesota was unable to hold an early 3-0 lead on Sunday and ultimately fell, 9-5, to Boston at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon. The Twins committed three errors and allowed two unearned runs in the seventh inning to put themselves out of reach. “When you give a team extra outs, you pay,” said manager Ron Gardenhire. “We paid today. These guys are very resilient over there.” The club is now 8-14 on the road this season and has lost nine of its last 10 games at tonight’s venue. In their last 10 games at Fenway Park, the Twins have been outscored 66-32. Minnesota is 7-16 versus right-handed starters this season.
Twins starting pitcher Nick Blackburn is 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA in six starts this season and picked up his second win of the year last time out. He allowed just a single run and four hits over 6.2 innings on the road versus the White Sox, but it was also the fourth-straight game that he’s allowed a home run. The right-hander has an even 2-2 record and 4.26 ERA in four road starts. Blackburn will be making his fifth career appearance (fourth start) versus Boston, posting a 2-1 mark and 4.79 ERA, allowing a .314 opponents average in the process.
Boston has posted a 5-5 record heading into its finale of a season-long 11-game homestand and will look to capture this particular series with a win tonight. The Red Sox acquisition of former Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is starting to pay off in a big way, as he brings in a team-high 24 RBIs into tonight’s game, while also knocking three home runs in his last six games after hitting just one in his first 28. “Once we get into the later part of May, we’re all going to start feeling better,” Gonzalez commented. “It’s got nothing to do with the park, it’s got something to do with my swing.” Boston’s starters have also provided a lift, posting an 11-5 record and 2.58 ERA over the last 21 contests.
Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA in six starts this season and has not pitched against the Twins since May 28, 2009. The right-hander has a 3-1 record and 3.81 ERA in four career starts versus Minnesota, with three of those appearances taking place in Boston. Beckett owns a .679 winning percentage (19-9) against AL Central teams in his career, his best mark against any division in the Majors.
Bettors will likely take a shot at the big underdog price of playing the Twins due to their 88-79 record following a loss the last three years, while the Red Sox are 8-13 in night games.
