Red Sox
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela hit the Red Sox's first home run in seven games, Rafael Devers added one other and Boston ended Minnesota's 12-game winning streak with a 9-2 win over the Twins on Sunday.
Vaughn Grissom and Dominic Smith scored two runs on doubles, and Boston ended a three-game losing streak wherein it scored just 4 runs.
Ryan Jeffers hit a house run and Trevor Larnach hit an RBI single for Minnesota.
The Twins' 12-game winning streak was the second-longest in team history, trailing a 15-game winning streak in June 1991, the last season wherein Minnesota won the World Series.
With one out within the fifth, Rafaela hit a full-count offering from Joe Ryan into the front row of the left-center field seats for a two-run home run and a 3-1 lead. Rafaela scored the team's previous all-rounder in last Saturday's 17-0 victory over the Cubs.
Grissom hit a two-run double for a 5-1 lead within the eighth inning. Smith, the subsequent batter, added a two-run double, the ball bouncing off the glove of Manuel Margot, who was battling the sun on a cloudless, 69-degree afternoon.
Devers hit a two-run shot within the ninth.
Boston starter Cooper Criswell, who threw five shutout innings in each of his last two starts, allowed one earned run and struck out five in 4 1/3 innings while requiring 80 pitches.
Brennan Bernardino (1-1), the primary of 5 Red Sox relievers, secured the victory.
Ryan (1-2) made his team-high fifth start of the season, allowing 4 hits and three earned runs while recording five strikeouts.
With a crowd of 29,638, the second-largest home crowd of the season, Jeffers hit a solo home run within the third inning for a 1-0 lead, one frame after Minnesota had a golden probability for early damage.
Max Kepler, Carlos Correa and Larnach each began second individually in Minnesota, but Criswell picked off Willi Castro and Carlos Santana before Jose Miranda hit a harmless rebound back to Criswell.
TRAINING ROOM
Red Sox: LF Rob Refsnyder left the sport within the fifth inning with left hamstring strain.
NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Kutter Crawford (2-1, 1.56 ERA) starts Tuesday in Atlanta. The Braves plan to start out RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-1, 1.50).
Twins: Begin a four-game home series with the Mariners on Monday. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 2.45) is the Twins' scheduled starter over Seattle RHP Luis Castillo (3-4, 3.46).
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