Twins 4, Red Sox 2: Mostly lackluster, though it got interesting in the ninth

Jovani Moran allowed hits to the first three Twins batters and surrendered a run on a sacrifice fly, leaving Brayan Bello to enter with a 2-0 deficit. Bello worked through bases-loaded situations twice and threw 20-plus pitches, but the Sox offense stayed quiet until the fourth inning. The fourth included a bench-clearing moment after Willson Contreras ran through Twins catcher Victor Caratini without beating the throw. Contreras committed his first error of the season in the fifth, and a close plate play was challenged but did not favor the Sox. Bello loaded the bases again, deflected a ball in play that resulted in a run, and the Twins added two more runs to lead 4-1. The Sox failed to capitalize on a seventh-inning error and walk. In the ninth, three walks, including one that scored, created a bases-loaded situation, but Jarren Duran struck out to end the game after a failed challenge.

"Jovani Moran had the responsibility to keep the Twins in check for the first inning in order to provide a soft landing for Brayan Bello in his bulk-pitching era. Well, today wasn't that day: Moran allowed hits to the first three Twins batters, then a run-scoring sacrifice fly immediately after that. Despite needing all the help he could get, Bello entered the game with a 2-0 deficit."

"The fifth inning featured Contreras' first error of the season, and an extremely close play at the plate that was challenged but ultimately didn't go the Sox way. Bello didn't do himself any favors in the inning either, loading the bases for the second time (albeit with help from Contreras' E) in another high-pitch inning. He also thoughtlessly deflected a ball in play, which looked like it was headed toward being cleanly fielded by Mayer, but scored a run instead. Two more runs crossed the plate, 4-1 Twins."

"Though Bello didn't melt down, it wasn't a good outing. That will probably be classified as progress for him, but it's not enough, friends. Not enough. The Sox were unable to capitalize on an error and walk that opened the seventh inning."

"Things got interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Chad Tracy pulled all the levers, leaving just one player on the bench. Caleb Durbin came in as a pinch runner and took second on "defensive indifference." This said a lot about this game, I thought, but some drama arrived in the form of three walks, including one that brought in a run. With the bases still loaded, it was very close to happening again, but Jarren Duran ultimately struck out to end the game. He threw a Hail Mary ABS challenge at the problem, but lost the challenge...and the Sox, the"

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