By DJ Harding-
After sweeping the Yankees in their three game series and defeating the Rockies in the final game of that series before that, the Boston Red Sox traveled to Minnesota and gained their fifth straight win.
James Paxton who took the mound for the Red Sox pitched 6 ⅓ innings tallying 7 strikeouts while allowing 3 hits and 3 runs.
Paxton picked up his third win of the season in the 9-3 win. Paxton now has a record of 3-1.
Alex Verdugo also had a remarkable day going 2 for 4 with a triple, 4 RBIs, and a diving catch on the defensive end.
No scoring happened in the first two innings with Boston getting on the board first in the top of the third.
Adam Duvall walked, which scored Pablo Reyes. Reyes also walked to get in base. Jarren Duran hit a double and Alex Verdugo was hit by a pitch which allowed the bases to be loaded for Duvall on the walk.
When Boston was back up to bat in the top of the fourth after back to back outs the Red Sox had a two out rally. Connor Wong first was walked which was then followed by a Pablo Reyes single. Jarren Duran then doubled which scored both Wong and Reyes.
Those scores gave the Red Soxs a 3-0 lead. Which only lasted one inning as in the bottom of the fifth after Willi Castro singled and Kyle Farmer was hit by a pitch former Red Sox Christin Vazquez hit a three run homer to tie the game up at three a piece.
Those three runs from Vazquez were Minnesota’s only runs of the evening.
In the top of the sixth after the Vazquez homer Triston Cass hit a single followed by a Connor Wong double. Rob Refsnyder was walked which led to the previously mentioned Alex Verdugo triple which scored all three runners on base Cass, Wong, and Refsnyder.
This would give Boston a 6-3 lead which only grew in the top of the seventh when Triston Cass hit a two run homer which scored him and Christian Arroyo.
In the top of the eighth Verdugo hit a single, scoring Pablo Reyes which was the ninth and final run of the night.
Boston gained their fifth straight win and grabbed the series opener against Minnesota.
The Red Soxs and Twins play game two tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 PM EST.