BASEBALL: Twins pummel Garrett Crochet, Red Sox early and often

Ryan Jeffers led the Minnesota Twins to a dominant 13-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night in Minneapolis, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. The win marked the Twins' seventh in their last eight games.

Victor Caratini also contributed with a home run and three RBIs, while Byron Buxton and Ryan Kreidler added to the Twins' power surge with solo shots. Minnesota’s offense exploded early, scoring 11 runs in the first two innings alone.

Bailey Ober (2-0) picked up the win, allowing four runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out seven, walked one, and hit a batter. Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet (2-2) had a rough outing, giving up 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits in just 1 2/3 innings. He walked three and failed to record a strikeout.

Minnesota wasted no time in attacking Crochet. In the first inning, the Twins scored four runs, starting with Austin Martin’s double and Luke Keaschall’s RBI double. Jeffers followed with a single to make it 2-0, and an error by Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story allowed two more runs to cross the plate.

The second inning was even worse for Crochet, as the Twins piled on seven more runs. With the bases loaded and no outs, Jeffers drove in a run with an RBI single, followed by Josh Bell’s two-run double. Caratini capped off the inning with a three-run homer, and Kreidler added a solo shot to extend Minnesota's lead to 11-0.

Boston fought back with three runs in the third. Caleb Durbin’s RBI double and Jarren Duran’s two-run homer got the Red Sox on the board. However, the Twins’ offense proved too much, with Buxton and Jeffers hitting solo home runs in the fifth to push the lead to 13-3.

Story drove in a run for Boston in the sixth, and back-to-back RBI singles by Andruw Monasterio and Wilyer Abreu in the seventh brought the score to 13-6, but the Red Sox couldn’t mount a full comeback.

With the win, the Twins continue their strong performance, while the Red Sox will look to rebound in their next matchup.

-Field Level Media/Reuters