Price, Betts, Ramirez lead Red Sox over Twins
Published 7:18 am Friday, June 30, 2017
BOSTON — David Price won for the second time in three starts, Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez hit solo home runs, and the Boston Red Sox rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 6-3 on Thursday night.
Tzu-Wei Lin singled and tripled for his first big league multihit game. Jackie Bradley Jr. had three hits and an RBI.
Price (3-2) threw a season-high 112 pitches over seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Craig Kimbrel pitched a one-hit ninth for his AL-leading 22nd save in 23 chances, finishing Boston’s last home game before the All-Star break.
Kyle Gibson (4-6) allowed five runs — three earned — and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Betts started Boston’s comeback when he homered heading off the fourth, and Bradley’s RBI double pulled the Red Sox to 3-2 in the fifth. Left fielder Robbie Grossman got in position to field a carom off the Green Monster, but the ball hit the ladder above the scoreboard and dropped straight down, allowing Ramirez to score from first.
Christian Vazquez followed with a grounder that hit the wrist of shortstop Jorge Polanco’s glove hand and bounced away for an error.
Deven Marrero hit a tying RBI grounder with one out on a dribbler to third, and Betts’ single put Boston ahead 4-3.
Ramirez’s sixth-inning homer chased Gibson, and Lin — who made his big league debut Monday — tripled off Buddy Boshers starting the seventh and scored on Marrero’s double.
Minnesota built its lead on Joe Mauer’s RBI grounder in the first and Polanco’s two-run double in the fourth.
Right-hander Phil Hughes, activated Wednesday following a rehab stint with Triple-A Rochester following a shoulder strain, came out of the bullpen in the seventh for his first relief appearance since June 9 last year. Hughes allowed one hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings, struck out two and walked none. He had not pitched for the Twins since May 21.
Up next
Twins: RHP Ervin Santana (10-4, 2.80) is slated to start Friday when the Twins open a four-game series at Kansas City.
Red Sox: RHP Doug Fister (0-1, 4.50), claimed off waivers last week, gets his second start for Boston when the Red Sox play at Toronto to open a 10-game trip.