The Boston Red Sox will try to boost their playoff chances when they square off against the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series Monday night in Minneapolis.
Boston is coming off back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers during the weekend. The victories gave the Red Sox a 4-5 record during a grueling stretch after the All-Star break that included series against the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and the Dodgers.
They enter Monday a half-game up on the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers for the second wild-card spot, and one back of the New York Yankees.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora praised his players for how they handled the challenge.
“The environment was great,” Cora said after Sunday’s home win over the Dodgers. “It was very similar to Philly — in between pitches, very quiet, like everybody was expecting something big to happen. A big pitch, a big play, a big swing. That’s what it’s all about.
“We’ve got a young team. We know that. For how big of a deal people were making Chicago and the Phillies and the Dodgers, it was a great learning experience for them regardless of the results,” the manager continued. “Because of these nine games, they’re going to be better. I don’t think the stage is too big for them. But we made some mistakes. We didn’t win too many games. We’re going to keep learning.”
The next step in Boston’s learning curve will take place against the Twins, who are reeling after dropping back-to-back home games to the Washington Nationals on Saturday and Sunday. The Twins are 3-6 since the All-Star break and are bracing themselves for the possibility that they will be sellers as Thursday’s trade deadline approaches.
Twins outfielder Harrison Bader, one of the players mentioned in trade rumors, said he and his teammates continue to give their best effort even if the results lag. Bader spoke after the Nationals beat the Twins 7-2 in the series finale.
“We hit a lot of balls at some guys and it just didn’t fall,” Bader said. “It happens. I’m pleased with the process behind the scenes. Guys want it, and sometimes it just doesn’t shake out the way you want.”
The Twins will try to find their groove at the plate against Red Sox rookie right-hander Richard Fitts (1-4, 4.86 ERA), who is set to make his 10th start of the season. The 25-year-old Auburn product will try to bounce back from a bumpy outing in which he allowed four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the host Phillies on Tuesday.
Fitts pitched five scoreless innings in his only other appearance against the Twins. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three but earned a no-decision on Sept. 20, 2024.
Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 4.14) is set to make his 16th start. He lasted only three innings in his most recent start, a 10-7 win over the Dodgers in which he allowed three runs on two hits and five walks and did not receive a decision.
This will be Woods Richardson’s first career start against the Red Sox.
Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton is unlikely to play in the series opener after the team announced Sunday that he has cartilage irritation on the left side of his rib cage. The diagnosis represented good news for the team, which will not put him on the injured list for now. Bader, filling in for Buxton, went 2-for-3 with a double and one run scored.
“To be day-to-day with what (Buxton) left the game with (Saturday), it’s a good thing,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Sunday. “We’ll measure him out, get him looked at by the trainers each day, get him a lot of treatment and, hopefully, he’ll be back very soon.”