BOSTON --- How the Red Sox suffered their Thursday loss to the Twins was quite literally indefensible.
Walks can’t be combated by fielders stranded behind their pitcher, and those free passes cost Boston dearly on a cool night at Fenway Park. The air carried with it a hint of fall, and the Red Sox took another step toward missing out on those glorious October occasions entirely.
The final punch to the gut was administered in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rafael [...]
BOSTON --- How the Red Sox suffered their Thursday loss to the Twins was quite literally indefensible.
Walks can’t be combated by fielders stranded behind their pitcher, and those free passes cost Boston dearly on a cool night at Fenway Park. The air carried with it a hint of fall, and the Red Sox took another step toward missing out on those glorious October occasions entirely.
The final punch to the gut was administered in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rafael Devers was thrown out at the plate on a J.D. Martinez double off the Green Monster, sealing a 2-1 Minnesota win.
Devers reached on a fielder’s choice and was on the move when Martinez sent a drive off the wall. Eddie Rosario played the carom nicely and made a strong throw toward home. Devers was cut down by about seven feet, with Jason Castro applying a simple tag.
Willians Astudio provided the key swing for the Twins. His pinch-hit RBI single in the top of the seventh inning was the difference, snapping a 1-1 tie. Boston walked the bases loaded twice and allowed single runs each time.
The second self-inflicted wound came in the seventh when Andrew Cashner retired the leadoff man and put three of the next four hitters on base. Matt Barnes was summoned from the bullpen and Astudillo caught up with a shoulder-high fastball, slapping it through the right side to plate the deciding run. It was the second of just two hits on the night for the visitors.
Cashner had walked only four men since his Aug. 13 move to the bullpen, a span of 11 innings. The last seven of those were scoreless, including a 1-2-3 frame on just nine pitches Tuesday night. Rosario flew to center leading off the seventh before Cashner suddenly lost his command.
Nathan Eovaldi’s best start since April resulted in a no decision. The right-hander covered five innings and allowed just one hit, leaving in a 1-1 game. Eovaldi has improved by one inning each time out since his Aug. 18 start against the Orioles, and his 76 pitches were a touch under the 81 he threw Friday against the Angels.
A brief bout of wildness was the only thing standing between Eovaldi and a clean line. He walked the bases loaded with nobody out in the fifth, including losing Mitch Garver after jumping ahead 0-and-2. C.J. Cron grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to plate a lone run and Jonathan Schoop lined to right, allowing Eovaldi to escape rather cheaply.
Martin Perez knifed through the Red Sox order early, retiring the first nine men he faced on a mere 30 pitches. Perez threw just four balls until falling behind Betts 2-and-0 to lead off the fourth, and his two-seam fastball away caught too much of the plate. It was the fifth home run in six days for Betts, a stinging liner that rang off the Pesky Pole.
The left-hander was in control otherwise, requiring just 70 pitches to work through six innings. Perez allowed just one more hit – a two-out double to left by Betts in the sixth. Boston eventually moved two men into scoring position before Perez retired Devers on a soft tapper to first, ending the inning.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25