Carlos Quentin delivered the first blow, then followed up with the biggest one as Gavin Floyd dominated the Twins for what could best be described as a palette-cleansing victory.
Quentin gave Floyd a 1-0 lead with a solo homer, but he'd save his greatest two-out theatrics for the fourth inning. After the Sox loaded the bases, with an Alexei Ramirez single, a perfect hit-and-run with Josh Fields and an Orlando Cabrera walk, A.J. Pierzynski hit a liner right at Delmon Young to put the Sox in a dreaded two-out, runners-in-scoring-position situation.
The Sox had been 0-for-8 in such scenarios this series, but Quentin got the Sox off the schneid and Pierzynski off the hook with a first-pitch double to left-center that cleared the bases and gave the Sox a 5-0 lead.
Floyd appeared to be on the verge of pulling a Clayton Richard and squandering the lead in the fourth when Denard Span led off with a single and Floyd walked Nick Punto, bringing Joe Mauer to the plate with Justin Morneau on deck. But he got a grounder right to Cabrera near second base, and he stepped on second before firing to first for a 6-3 double play. Justin Morneau drove in the only run Floyd allowed with a double, but the biggest trouble had passed.
From that point on, it was smooth sailing. Ramirez came through with two outs and two on with his ninth homer of the year, while Floyd sat down 13 of 14 Twins. He departed the game in the eighth when Cabrera changed his mind on a grounder to short and ended up throwing Ramirez a no-look pass he wasn't ready for, extending the inning. But Matt Thornton ended the drama by getting Punto to ground out to third.
Record: 60-46 |
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