Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins coasted to a 13-6 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Victor Caratini also homered and drove in three runs for the Twins, who won for the seventh time in their past eight games. Byron Buxton and Ryan Kreidler also homered.
Jarren Duran hit a two-run homer to lead Boston at the plate. Wilyer Abreu and Caleb Durbin each added two hits and one RBI.
Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (2-0) allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings. He fanned seven, walked one and hit a batter.
Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet (2-2) surrendered 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits in 1 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out none.
The Twins pounced on the southpaw for 11 runs in the first two innings.
Minnesota started its damage with a four-run first. Austin Martin hit a one-out double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Luke Keaschall’s double to left. Moments later, Jeffers singled to drive in Keaschall and make it 2-0.
An error by Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story opened the door for the Twins to make it 4-0. Brooks Lee reached on an RBI infield single that scored Jeffers, and Story’s errant throw allowed Caratini to sprint home for another run.
If the first inning was bad for Crochet, the second was even worse.
With two on and one out, Jeffers produced an RBI single, and Josh Bell delivered a two-run double in the next at-bat. Then Caratini belted a 423-foot, three-run homer to left to put the Twins ahead 10-0.
Kreidler added a solo homer that traveled 438 feet to left to make it 11-0. That marked the final pitch for Crochet, who was replaced by left-hander Jovani Moran.
Boston clawed back for three runs in the third. Durbin drove an RBI double to left, and Duran followed with a two-run shot for his first homer of the season.
Buxton and Jeffers each hit solo home runs in the fifth to make it 13-3.
Story drove in a run with an RBI single in the sixth and the Red Sox pulled within 13-6 in the seventh on back-to-back RBI singles by Andruw Monasterio and Wilyer Abreu.
