The Boston Red Sox handed the Minnesota Twins a 13-8 loss at JetBlue Park on Saturday in spring training play. Despite James Outman's 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI effort at the plate, the Twins could not overcome a sizable deficit. Taj Bradley worked 2.0 innings on the mound, allowing 5 earned runs on 6 hits. The Twins finished with 13 hits on the day while holding the Sox to 12. The loss is a minor bump as the Twins continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
James Outman was the key contributor at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. His power was on full display throughout the game. The Twins will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
Kody Clemens chipped in, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, Byron Buxton added to the attack, going 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI, and Ricardo Olivar provided support, going 1-for-2 with an RBI. The Twins showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Jarren Duran led the Sox offense with a 2-for-2 with two home runs and four RBI day. Max Ferguson also contributed, going 1-for-1 with a home run and four RBI. Roman Anthony added a 2-for-3 with an RBI effort as well. The Sox offense proved to be too much for the Twins pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Taj Bradley took the loss after running into trouble, working 2.0 innings while allowing 5 earned runs on 6 hits with four strikeouts. He threw 60 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 6.0 innings of work, allowing 8 earned runs while striking out four. The Twins continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting.
How It Happened
Sox got on the board first with two runs in the first inning. The Twins answered with four runs in the second. Sox responded with a run in the second. Sox pushed across three runs in the third. Sox plated two runs in the fourth. The Twins answered with a run in the fifth. Sox responded with a run in the fifth. The Twins countered with a run in the sixth. The Twins plated two runs in the seventh. Sox answered with four runs in the seventh. The Sox were able to score in six separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. The Twins out-hit Sox 13-12 on the day, with 2 errors committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 8,629 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Twins will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.