All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Twins, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Walks (and hit batsman) hurt: It's bad enough that Red Sox hitters aren't walking nearly as much as they did a year ago. But making matters worse is the fact that the Sox pitching staff has been issuing walks by the boatload, especially in the last two months. (Manager Alex Cora specifically points to the series at Wrigley Field at the start of July as the time when the staff began, quite literally, losing control). It was more of the same Tuesday night for Red Sox pitchers, who issued six walks and hit a batter in their 10-5 loss. Of the six batters who were walked, four eventually came around to score, as did the hit batsman. Too often, the walks served to extend innings after two outs, opening the door for more trouble. Starter Kutter Crawford was responsible for four of the walks; three ended up costing him by crossing the plate.
Offense battles back, but it's not enough: After falling behind 3-0, the Red Sox rallied with the bats against the Twins. They got back in the fourth on a couple of hits and a sacrifice fly. The following inning, they strung together an honest-to-goodness rally, with three consecutive hits followed by a fielder's choice and a walk, leading to three runs. That gave them the lead at 4-3. But as has been the case far too often, that wasn't nearly enough given how the pitching staff was performing. The Sox would finish with five runs, actually, and still lost by a 2-to-1 margin. Over the last 11 games, the Sox have hit better than .300 as a team and have scored five or more runs in 11 of those. And yet, they've lost eight of those 11 because the pitching isn't capable of shutting down the other team. As soon as the Sox took the lead 4-3 in the top of the fifth, the Twins answered with four of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Sox acquire reliever: Late in the game, the Red Sox announced that they obtained reliever Taylor Broadway from the Chicago White Sox, thereby completing the deal that sent Jake Diekman to Chicago in exchange for catcher Reese McGuire and a player to be named later back on Aug. 1. Broadway, 25, was drafted in the sixth round by the White Sox in the 2021 Draft out of the University of Mississippi. He was 3-2 with a 4.74 ERA in 27 appearances with Double-A Birmingham. In 52 pro appearances, he's 4-2 with a 4.45 ERA and 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He'll report to Double-A Portland. It's unclear what Broadway's potential is, but at this point, the Sox should welcome any arm they can get for the organization.
TURNING POINT
In the Minnesota fifth, Crawford retired the first hitter on a flyout before Carlos Correa hit a fly ball to right-center. Right fielder Alex Verdugo came gliding across and had the ball in his glove, but at the last second, the ball clanged off the heel of the glove and fell to the ground, allowing Correa to reach on the error. It may have been that Verdugo spied Kike Hernandez coming over from center and that took his focus off the ball. Whatever the reason, instead of two outs, the Twins had a runner on base. Next came a walk, then a hit batsman, than a grand slam by Nick Gordon off reliever Ryan Brasier. The Twins never looked back.
TWO UP
Zack Kelly: Pitching for the second straight night after being called up Monday, Kelly turned in a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the seventh.
Xander Bogaerts: Bogaerts has shown signs of life as of late, and kept it going with two hits (single, double) and an RBI.
TWO DOWN
Matt Barnes: Barnes had a sub-2.00 ERA since coming off the IL, but was roughed up in the eighth, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk.
Franchy Cordero: Cordero has been hot of late, but not Tuesday — when he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a lineout.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"The brand of baseball that we have to play is better than this and we know that we're capable of doing it and we haven't done it.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Xander Bogaerts extended his hitting streak to 18 straight games at Target Field, dating back to 2016.
* The Red Sox allowed double figures in runs scored for the 13th time this season. Among A.L. clubs, only Kansas City (16) has done it more.
* Ryan Brasier has allowed 13 of 20 inherited runners to score.
* Alex Verdugo's double gave him five extra-base hits in the last five games.
UP NEXT: The final game of the series takes place Wednesday at 7:40 p.m, with a pitching matchup that features RHP Michael Wacha (9-1, 2.53) vs. RHP Joe Ryan (10-6, 3.65)