The Boston Red Sox evened their series against the Twins on Tuesday with an 8-5 win. Or should we just say that the Sox defeated Twins shortstop Brooks Lee?
After all, Lee was responsible for all five runs. He had a 3-for-4 day at the plate with two home runs, a double, two runs scored and five RBI.
The rest of the team, however, went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
Tuesday’s game also marked the major league debut of rookie pitcher Pierson Ohl, a recent minor league callup to fill the spot vacated by former Twins starter Chris Paddack who has been traded to the Detroit Tigers.
Ohl pitched two scoreless frames and then ran headlong into major league hitting, serving up a single, double, triple and home run to chase him from the game.
He was followed by members of the bullpen’s B-team: Michael Tonkin and Kody Funderburk, both of whom each allowed a run. The artist formerly known as Louie Varland, a member of the bullpen’s A-team, allowed two unearned runs because of two errors.
Zebby Matthews gets the ball Wednesday.
Extra innings…
-I watched highlights of the game and during it the broadcast appeared to show closer Jhoan Duran saying goodbye to his teammates in the bullpen as if he had been traded. But that did not happen, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who tweeted the following:
Jhoan Duran has not been traded. He was just hugging his bullpen catcher because that’s what friends do sometimes.
-The injury news rolls on for the Twins. Now, Byron Buxton has landed on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, according to MLB.com.