Red Sox Dominate Twins 13-1, Powered by Duran and Story
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Jarren Duran had a standout night at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, while Trevor Story homered for the second straight game as the Boston Red Sox routed the Minnesota Twins 13-1 on Wednesday to clinch the series.
Boston starter Brayan Bello was sharp once again, allowing just one earned run on five hits over seven innings, striking out four. The right-hander from the Dominican Republic has now logged quality starts in nine of his last ten outings.
The Red Sox wrapped up July with an impressive 17-7 record, improving to 59-51 overall — the fifth-best mark in the American League. Meanwhile, the struggling Twins (51-57) have gone 4-8 since the All-Star break and are stuck in fourth place in the AL Central.
Story opened the scoring in the second inning with his 17th homer of the season. Abraham Toro added a sacrifice fly in the third, and Duran’s two-run single in the fifth extended the lead to 4-1, ending the day for Twins starter Zebby Matthews. Matthews (2-3) surrendered five earned runs on eight hits while striking out four.
Duran added to the Red Sox’s offensive explosion in the sixth, launching a 416-foot homer to the second deck in right-center field. He celebrated with an airplane gesture as he rounded the bases — a nod to Boston’s bumpy charter flight into Minneapolis on Sunday night.
Boston third baseman Alex Bregman was given the day off to rest a quadriceps injury that sidelined him for seven weeks; he’s expected back on Friday. On the Minnesota side, outfielder Byron Buxton was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to left rib cartilage irritation, while shortstop Carlos Correa is considered day-to-day after leaving Tuesday’s game with a migraine.
The Red Sox have been dominant on the mound, entering Wednesday with a league-leading 2.94 ERA in July — third-best in all of MLB.
Up Next
Both teams have Thursday off. Boston begins a six-game homestand Friday against the Houston Astros. The Twins hit the road for a six-game trip starting in Cleveland.
