Early on last night, it didn’t look like the Boston Red Sox were going to pick up a third straight win as the Minnesota Twins got to Tim Wakefield for five runs. But after the offense woke up, Wakefield left the game in line for his 200th career win.
Unfortunately for Wake, his 200th career win will have to wait until his next start as Alfredo Aceves was touched up for a run in the 8th inning. There was no need to panic though as the Red Sox got two runs in the top half of the 9th to pick up an 8-6 win.
I know we were all disappointed that Wake couldn’t get his 200th win and even the players were as well. While individual accolades are nice, all 25 guys on the Red Sox roster will tell you that a team win is more important. We also can’t get down on Aceves for giving up the run that denied Wake’s 200th.
The man has been there all season long for the Red Sox when they needed him and if it weren’t for him, they probably wouldn’t be in the position they are in. I’m sure no one felt worse than he did last night.
Wake struggled early on but once the offense got going, he settled down in the 6th and 7th to go out in line for the win thanks to David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltlamacchia.
The Red Sox were trailing 5-1 entering the 6th inning and you could see the 5 a.m. arrival time in Minneapolis was wearing on them. Things got started when Carl Crawford led off with a triple off of Scott Baker. The next batter Adrian Gonzalez brought him in with a sac fly. Dustin Pedroia singled and then came into score on Big Papi’s monstrous blast to the second deck in right field at Target Field.
Salty followed that up with a solo home run and just like that the Red Sox had tied the game up at 5. They took the lead in the 8th when Mike Aviles grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Big Papi when Joe Mauer‘s error allowed him to score.
Big Papi became the hero of the game with his fourth hit of the night, a single that easily scored pinch-runner Darnell McDonald. Salty followed that with a double to score Pedroia to provide the final margin. Jonathan Papelbon continued his run of great pitching by going 1-2-3 in the 9th for his 25th save of 2011.
Ortiz had been slumping recently but he’s once again starting to hit the ball. And with the reports that he’s unhappy about his contract status, he’s letting his bat do the talking right now. The Red Sox probably won’t discuss an extension with him while the season is going on and the last thing the Red Sox need right now is a distraction. But as long as Papi takes out his frustrations with the bat and not in the media, things will be just fine.
Marco Scutaro also added three more hits last night after a four-hit effort on Sunday. With Jed Lowrie back in the fold now, those two will probably be competing for playing time at shortstop again. If Scutaro stays hot though, that could all change.
We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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Where have all the homers gone for Adrian Gonzalez? [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Sox put together another late win [Boston Globe]
Reward for long night [Boston Globe]
Could Ellsbury join these leading men? [Boston Globe]
It was a big night for Papi [Boston Globe]
David Ortiz makes Twins pay [Boston Herald]
Pedroia works hard [Boston Herald]
Lowrie hopes to show early form [Boston Herald]
Wake’s quest lingers longer [Boston Herald]
Sox’ late-inning attack spurs 8-6 win [CSN New England]
Notes: Wakefield misses 200th win once again [CSN New England]
Rapid reaction: Red Sox 8, Twins 6 [ESPN Boston]
Video: ‘MNB’ crew on Sox offense [ESPN Boston]
Closing Time: David Ortiz has big night in 8-6 win over Twins, Tim Wakefield still searching for No. 200 [Full Count]
Red Sox Reliever Bobby Jenks Hospitalized, Set to Undergo Colonoscopy [NESN.com]
Video: David Ortiz Continues to Hurt Former Team, Sparks Red Sox Win in Series Opener [NESN.com]
Video: Tim Wakefield Can’t Pick Up 200th Win, But Not Too Upset As Red Sox Still Come Away With Win [NESN.com]
David Ortiz Uses Entire Ballpark in Loud Night Against Twins to Help Put Quiet Slump in Past [NESN.com]
Tim Wakefield Posts Another Quality Start, Remains in Search of Milestone Win [NESN.com]
Red Sox win, but Wakefield forced to wait for No. 200 [Providence Journal]
Lowrie-Scutaro competition renewed in earnest [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Francona defends Varitek’s swing on 3-0 count [Providence Journal]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer-Press websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Twins Target.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
Photo credit: Getty Images
