Boston Red Sox 1 Minnesota Twins 2 (May 5, 2007)
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0 comments2nd Straight Pitchers' Duel Goes to Twins
The Minnesota Twins (16-14, 3rd in AL Central), behind strong pitching all the way around and timely hitting, defeated the Boston Red Sox (19-10, 1st in AL East) on Saturday by a score of 2-1. Johan Santana (W, 4-2) went only five innings but the bullpen, led by closer Joe Nathan (S, 8), shut down the Boston offense from there on out to secure a win in the second game of their three-game series.
| W: | Johan Santana | (4-2, 3.40) |
| L: | Julian Tavarez | (1-3, 6.48) |
| S: | Joe Nathan | (8, 3.07) |
Julian Tavarez (L, 1-3) had one of his best outings of the year, setting season highs in innings pitched (6) and strikouts (7). Unfortunately, the Red Sox offense couldn't get anything going against Santana and the Twins bullpen. Joel Pineiro pitched two perfect innings in relief, lowering his ERA to 2.31.
Offense was at a premium in this game, and some unlikely candidates provided what hitting there was. Dustin Pedroia had only his 4th RBI of the year on a double in the 4th off of Santana. Jason Tyner and Jason Bartlett each knocked in a run for Minnesota, and both came on balls that stayed in the infield. The Twins only had four hits on the day, but they made them count.
Top Performers by WPA: Twins: Joe Nathan (.281), Jeff Cirillo (.050) Red Sox: Julian Tavarez (.091), Dustin Pedroia (.152)
- Santana: 40
- Tavarez: 51
Coming Up Next: This three game set finishes up Sunday at 2:10ET, as Curt Schilling (3-1, 3.15, WPA 0.71) faces off against Sidney Ponson (2-3, 6.67, WPA -0.63).
Date
May 5, 2007
