Red Sox 9 Twins 3: It’s Electric, Dugie-Oogie-Oogie

The Sox came into Minnesota on a four-game winning streak and extended that streak behind a strong start from James Paxton and a big night from Alex Verdugo as the Sox won, 9-3.

The Sox started a Midwest trip the day after they swept the Yankees, and the first two innings were nothing to report about except James Paxton continued own shit.

But the third? The third was good. A walk to Pablo Reyes, a double by Jarren Duran, an Alex Verdugo HBP and baby, the Sox had a stew going with one out and the bases juiced. Or would have, had Rafael Devers not struck out. Then Pablo López — not Reyes — walked Adam Duvall to make it 1-0 Sox, so the stew, in fact, had some flavor. Masataka Yohsida, who never strikes out, then struck out to end the inning.

Say it with me: Butts. But! 1-0, Sox.

Anyhow Paxton got through the third despite a hiccup and a hard-hit ball by old friend Christian Vázquez, so that was nice. In the bottom half López walked Connor Wong before Reyes hit a single/error through the right side hole and the Twins made a mess of it, bringing Wong home to make it 2-0. Then Duran hit his third double of the game (!) on his third broken bat (!) to make it 3-0, good guys:

There was a little scare in bottom 4 but Mr. Personality himself, Carlos Correa, grounded into a double play to end the threat. Top 5 ended with Yoshida striking out again. That’s not a thing that happens very often, but it happened on this night.

Halfway home and Paxton K’d Alex Kirilloff before giving up a single to Willi Castro (I guess he will?) and hitting Kyle Farmer on the kneecap on an -0-2 pitch to put runners on first and second with one out. A flyout put two on with two out for Christian Vázquez and, wouldn’t you know it, because life is funny and dumb, he hit is first homer for the Twins to tie the game:

That’s not very Minnesota Nice, Christian. 3-3, headed to the sixth.

IN WHICH.. the Sox got men on second and third with Duran up and two outs, which mean López came out for lefty Jovani Moran, which meant Duran came out for lefty destroyer Rob Refsnyder. He went 3-0, then 3-2, before fouling one off and, finally, walking.

Bases juiced, Dugie at-bat. Fouled off the first pitch. Fouled off the second pitch. The third one? Well:

A bases loaded triple on a 0-2 count is very nice, imho. 6-3 Sox heading to bottom six.

A rejuvenated Paxton blistered the Twins, abetted by a generous call on a Byron Buxton strikeout and a fantastic one-handed play by Devers. Then our beefy son got BUSY:

It’s the best day of that dude’s life, if you hadn’t heard, and one of my better days, given that it was 8-3 Sox heading to bottom seven.

That was the point I turned my attention to Tears of the Kingdom, but Alex Verdugo drove home a run in the eighth, after which the Sox loaded the bases but did not score. The game ended 9-3. The Sox had the 9. That’s the important part.

BOX