Game 74: Red Sox at Twins lineups and notes
Boston has moved to three games above .500 but is still in last place in the American League East, 12 games behind the division-leading Rays.
Make that five wins in a row for the Red Sox after Monday night’s 9-3 win at Minnesota.
Red Sox
The bats have come alive, as the Sox have outscored their opponents 40-14 during the streak, pounding out 56 hits in that span.
Boston has moved to three games above .500, but is still in last place in the American League East, 12 games behind the division-leading Rays. The Twins have now dropped four of five to dip below .500, but still hold a two-game lead in the AL Central.
Kutter Crawford has been more effective as a reliever for the Sox, but with but with Tanner Houck and Chris Sale on the injured list and the organization lacking starter depth in Triple A, the 27-year-old righthander gets the nod tonight.
Lineups
RED SOX (38-35):
Alex Verdugo (L) RF
Justin Turner (R) DH
Rafael Devers (L) 3B
Masataka Yoshida (L) LF
Adam Duvall (R) CF
Triston Casas (L) 1B
Christian Arroyo (R) 2B
Connor Wong (R) C
Enrique Hernandez (R) SS
Pitching: RHP Kutter Crawford (1-3, 4.20 ERA)
TWINS (36-37):
Edouard Julien (L) 2B
Carlos Correa (R) SS
Alex Kirilloff (L) 1B
Byron Buxton (R) DH
Joey Gallo (L) LF
Royce Lewis (R) 3B
Max Kepler (L) RF
Ryan Jeffers (R) C
Willi Castro (S) CF
Pitching: RHP Bailey Ober (4-3, 2.65 ERA)
Time: 7:40 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Ober: Rafael Devers 1-4, Kiké Hernández 0-6, Reese McGuire 1-5, Alex Verdugo 2-4
Twins vs. Crawford: Carlos Correa 1-4, Joey Gallo 0-1, Ryan Jeffers 0-0, Max Kepler 0-1, Michael A. Taylor 0-2
Stat of the day: Crawford owns a 5.40 ERA in seven home games (three starts) this season compared to a 2.60 mark in six appearances (two starts) on the road.
Notes: The Red Sox are averaging 7.7 runs per game in their last six games. … Verdugo is 17-for-43 with seven RBIs during his 10-game hitting streak … Crawford allowed four runs over four innings in a no-decision against the Rockies on June 13. He is 0-1 with a 12.00 ERA in two career games (one start) against Minnesota. … Ober earned a win on June 14 after allowing two runs and striking out seven over six innings in a 4-2 victory over the Brewers. … He has gone at least five innings in each of his 10 starts this season, striking out 54 while issuing just 14 walks. … This will be Ober’s third time facing the Red Sox. He did not allow an earned run in his previous two starts covering 11 innings. … Byron Buxton is mired in an 0-for-24 slump for the Twins.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com