Minnesota Twins Complete Sweep of the Boston Red Sox
By Brennen Rupp
Don’t look now, but the Minnesota Twins are 28-18 and tied for first place in the AL Central with the Kansas City Royals. The Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox this afternoon. Beating them 6-4. They are now 18-6 in the month of May. It’s the first time the Twins have won 18 games in a month since 2010.
Phil Hughes picked up his fourth victory of the season, despite giving up a pair of two-run home runs to Red Sox second baseman, Dustin Pedroia. Hughes has now given up 12 home runs on the season. Hughes pitched 6.2 innings giving up four runs on six hits. The win gives Hughes four wins in the month of May. It’s also the seventh straight game the Twins starting pitcher has pitched six or more innings.
The Twins fell behind in the third inning, following Pedroia’s first two run blast. They responded quickly, as they scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Torii Hunter got them on the board with a two-run single that tied it up at two. Hunter’s single also extended his hitting streak to seven games. Hunter is now hitting .341 with runners in scoring position.
Joe Mauer followed Hunter’s two-run single with an RBI single. Mauer is hitting .413 with runners in scoring position. He may not have power, but he’s money with runners in scoring position.
Aaron Hicks making highlight reel plays have become the norm. Today it was different. Instead of making a spectacular catch in the outfield, Hicks hit a two-run home run that gave the Twins a 5-2 lead. It was his first home run of the season.
Eddie Rosario had himself a game. He hit his second home run of the season and had a run saving catch in left field.
Glen Perkins completed the sweep by picking up his 18th save of the season. His 18 saves leads the league.
The baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s still way too early to consider the Twins to be a legitimate contender to win the AL Cental. With that said, the Twins have gone 27-12 since their 1-6 start. We are approaching June and the Twins have shown no signs of slowing down. It may be time to start believing in this Twins team.