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Red Sox rout Twins in series finale

The AL Central-leading Twins have dropped three of four and lost a home series for just the second time this season.
Credit: AP
Boson Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon, left, tags out Minnesota Twins' C.J. Cron at home during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton- King)

MINNEAPOLIS — Eduardo Rodríguez picked up Boston’s bullpen a night after a 17-inning loss, Brock Holt drove in three runs and the Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 9-4 on Wednesday night.

Rodríguez (8-4) allowed four runs on eight hits, but more important, he lasted seven innings after the Red Sox used eight relievers in Tuesday’s marathon.

Boston scored three runs in the second, fifth and eighth innings to win for the seventh time in eight games.  

Kyle Gibson (7-4) couldn’t lighten the load on Minnesota’s bullpen. He tied a career high with five walks and threw 94 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits.

Eddie Rosario’s RBI single put Minnesota ahead in the first, but Holt, Michael Chavis and Mookie Betts each had RBI singles in the second.

Willians Astudillo and Max Kepler homered in the fourth to give the Twins a 4-3 lead, but Boston rallied again.

Xander Bogaerts ripped an RBI double to left. Holt plated another run with a sacrifice fly and Chavis chased Gibson with his second hit.

Rodríguez settled in and retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced after Kepler’s homer.

ROSTER MOVES

The Red Sox placed Hector Velázquez on the injured list with a low back strain and recalled right-hander Josh Smith from Triple-A Pawtucket. Velázquez pitched four innings in Tuesday’s game but had a recurrence of the back injury that forced him to the injured list before he returned Tuesday.

Minnesota placed Marwin Gonzalez on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. The Twins also placed reliever Blake Parker on the family medical emergency list.

Astudillo was recalled from Triple-A Rochester, and the team selected the contract of right-hander Sean Poppen from Triple-A. Poppen, a 19th-round draft choice in 2016 out of Harvard, made his major league debut and allowed three runs in four innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers left the game in fifth inning with right hamstring tightness. Devers appeared to sustain the injury running out an infield single. He stayed in the game but was replaced by Eduardo Núñez after running to third base. ... Nathan Eovaldi (right elbow) threw for the third straight day. Manager Alex Cora said Eovaldi would take a day off and the team would map out his next throwing session. ... Heath Hembree (right elbow extensor strain) played catch before the game.

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