The Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins met for the first time this season on Monday, with the Red Sox beating the AL Central Leaders.
The Sox are now 7-3 in their last 10 games with six wins straight, and will be looking to carry that momentum throughout the rest of the series on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Twins currently boast the best record in baseball, but have lost four of their last 10 games.
Along with the best record, the Twins have the best run differential as well, thanks to their offense and their underestimated pitching. Rick Porcello started on the mound for the Sox Monday night and pitched for seven innings to give the Sox a much-needed win. Porcello allowed just four hits and added eight strikeouts to a strong performance. For Tuesday Night, the World Series closer David Price faces off against Michael Pineda on the hill. The former New York Yankee Pineda has been nursing his arm after missing the entire 2018 season and is slowly returning to full fitness. Pineda has started 13 times this season and has a 5.04 ERA. Pineda’s last start, however, against the Seattle Mariners, gave up only one run in five innings.
“We’re playing good baseball. We’ve got a lot of baseball to play, though,” Porcello said, according to Boston.com.
With their underrated stars, the Twins are on pace to have a 107-win regular season. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Twins are currently on pace to hit 313 home runs in the 2019 season, which would beat the Yankees’ current record of 267 from last season.
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The Twins had a warming tribute to the Red Sox great David Ortizbefore Monday’s first pitch, celebrating the career he had and wishing him good health after Ortiz was shot at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic.
The Sox are currently third in the AL East, 5.5 games behind the first-place Yankees and three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Twins are 23-12 at home this season, and host the Red Sox for the remainder of the series. The Red Sox are still favorites, with Caesars Palace and Bet365 having them at -1.5, with the O/U at 9.5 and the money line at -118 for the Sox. The second game of the series starts at 8:10 p.m. EST on Tuesday night.
