The Red Sox have won their last 3 games and were sending Ryan Dempster to the mound in hopes of making it 4 straight. The Sox would blast their way to a win, but Dempster wouldn't be able to make it out of the 5th inning. The score makes it seem like it was a blowout, but those middle innings were pretty tense as the Twins were rallying back.
The Sox bats got going early in the top of the first when Papi hit a 3 run HR. Dempster struggled out of the gate as he allowed a baserunner in every inning he pitched. In the 2nd, he gave up an RBI single to Florimon. Sox 3-1. The Sox were able to get that run right back in the 3rd when Papi hit an RBI single to score Gomes. Sox 4-1. In the bottom of the 4th Dempster allowed another run to score when he gave up an RBI single to Morneau. Sox 4-2. In the top of the 5th the Sox would get to scoring again. Pedey hit an RBI double, Nava hit a sac fly and then a Lavarnway RBI single. Sox 7-2.
The Sox seemed like they had the game in control, but Dempster just didn't seem like he had it and it would continue into the 5th. Dempster gave up a groundout RBI to Plouffe and an RBI single to Florimon. Sox 7-4. Farrell came out to talk to Dempster, but decided to leave him in the game. That decision would prove to be poor. Dempster gave up an RBI single to Carroll and he was out of the game. Sox 7-5. Clayton Mortensen was in the game and got the two outs needed to get out of the inning unscathed.
Mortensen would start the 6th, but with one out and two runners on base, he was pulled and Craig Breslow was in the game. Breslow issued a walk and the bases were loaded. Breslow got Hicks to pop out to 2nd base and Pedey made a great throw to home and Lavarnway blocked the plate and took quite a collision with Doumit to end the inning. In the top of the 7th, Papi reminded his old team how much they should miss him when he hit his 2nd homerun of the night. Sox 9-5. Then Daniel Nava hit a 2 run HR of his own to have the Sox leading 11-2. Suddenly this game didn't seem so tight anymore. Breslow pitched a scoreless 7th and then Lavarnway added on one more run in the top of the 8th when he hit a sac fly. Sox 12-5. Alex Wilson came in and pitched two scoreless innings to end the game.
This was a great game. It started with a blast, got way too close for comfort and then the bats blasted away again to put the game to bed.
Red Sox 12 Twins 5 BOXSCORE
WP: Breslow (1-0) LP: Diamond (3-4)
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