All you need to know about the Red Sox' 4-3 loss to the Twins, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Ottavino can't hold on: The Red Sox battled back late in the game to erase a 3-0 deficit, and seemed to have a new life when Alex Verdugo's slashed an opposite-field, bases-loaded double into the left field corner to tie things. But no sooner had the Sox tied it that Adam Ottavino opened the door for the Twins an inning later. Coming into a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, Ottavino quickly yielded a leadoff single followed by a walk, putting the potential winning run in scoring position. Sure enough, Max Kepler hit a flair off the end of the bat into shallow center, where no one could get it, and the Twins walked off the Red Sox to end Boston's nine-game winning streak. Ottavino has made five appearances, and only one of them -- in which he faced just one batter -- has he had a clean outing. He's also been scored upon in three of the five and has allowed 11 baserunners in 3.2 innings of work.
Richards grinds it out: This wasn't the finest outing he'll have, but give credit to Garrett Richards for limiting the damage. He endured a nightmarish second inning with a costly error behind him, but made sure that the inning didn't get away from him. "I was just trying to limit the snowball,'' said Richards, "and try to keep it as small as possible.'' He also retired 10 of the last 12 hitters he faced and allowed just one hit over his final three innings. What did him in was a 37-pitch inning in the second, limiting how deep he could go. But on an afternoon in which he was victimized by some sloppy play and plain bad luck, Richards ultimately kept the Sox in the game and gave up just two runs (both unearned). If that's an off-day for him, the Red Sox will live with that.
Verdugo almost the hero again: On Wednesday, Verdugo almost single-handedly carried the Sox to a doubleheader sweep, saving the first game with a spectacular catch in the ninth inning which prevented the tying run from scoring, then knocking in three runs in the second win. He seemed poised to do it again Thursday when, in a 10-pitch at-bat against lefty Taylor Rogers, he stayed alive by constantly fouling off pitches before producing a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the eighth. Alas, the Sox couldn't complete the comeback, but Verdugo's toughness won't soon be forgotten.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox could get nothing done through the first seven innings against Twins starter Michael Pineda, who, in between allowing a leadoff single to Kiké Hernández and an infield single by Xander Bogaerts to open the seventh, retired 18 of the next 19 hitters he faced. When Pineda was lifted after seventh, it felt as though a cloud was lifted from the Red Sox, who quickly staged their eighth-inning rally off the Twins' bullpen. By the time Verdugo came to the plate for his big double, the Sox had as many men on base that inning as they had in the first seven innings of the game combined.
TWO UP
Christian Arroyo: In addition to a number of fine plays at second base, Arroyo also had a double and a stolen base as he continues to make his case as an everyday player.
Josh Taylor: After a few shaky appearances in a row, the lefty seemed to settle down with a scoreless seventh inning.
TWO DOWN
Bobby Dalbec: The first baseman made a nice play to cut down a run at the plate, but he also made a costly throwing error that led to two unearned runs and was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts at the plate.
Rafael Devers: Like J.D. Martinez, Devers has cooled in a hurry. Following his five homers in four games, he was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, including a called third strike with two runners on base following Verdugo's double.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"If I took Adderall, that's probably would it would feel like.'' Alex Verdugo on his epic 10-pitch at-bat which ended with a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- With an infield single in the seventh inning, Xander Bogaerts extended his hitting streak at Target Field to 16 games.
- The Red Sox have lost just four games and Garrett Richards has started two of them.
- Christian Arroyo's double in the ninth inning was his sixth of the season.
- The homer allowed by Hirokazu Sawamura in the sixth was just the second allowed by the Red Sox bullpen this season. It was also the first run allowed by any Red Sox reliever in the series.
- The loss also snapped Boston's six-game winning streak on the road.