Twins starter Allan Anderson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Wade Boggs flied out to center to start. Jody Reed lined out to right and Mark Greenwell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Matt Young got the start for the Sox in the bottom of the first and the Twins beat the ball in the dirt. Dan Gladden led off with a ground out to short, Chuck Knoblauch grounded out to second and Kirby Puckett also grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Sox struck first quickly in the top of the second as Jack Clark singled to start and Ellis Burks doubled him to third. Tom Brunansky scored both men with a base hit to give the Sox the lead. Brunansky moved to second on the Carlos Quintana grounder and to third on the Tony Pena grounder. Luis Rivera grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.
Young cruised in the bottom of the second as Chili David swung at air for strike three to start. Brian Harper grounded out to second and Kent Hrbek also grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Boggs grounded out to second to start. Reed singled to short but Greenwell plastered his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Clark grounded out to short and Burks grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.
The Twins roared back in the bottom of the third as Gene Larkin beat out an infield single to short to start. Scott Leius then blasted a home run all the way to St. Paul, Minneosta to cut the lead. Greg Gagne took strike three but Gladden singled. Knoblauch doubled home Gladden to cut the lead and moved to third on the Puckett grounder. Davis took strike three to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 4-3.
Brunansky flied out to center to start the top of the fourth and Quintana did the same. Pena singled to center but Rivera hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Young got the Twins to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Harper grounded out to first to start. Hrbek and Larkin both grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Boggs flied out to center to start. Reed grounded out to third and Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Leius beat out an infield single to short to start the bottom of the fifth and Reed booted a grounder by Gagne for an error. Gladden walked to load the bases but Knoblauch forced Leius at home. Puckett banged into a double play to end the inning.
Clark singled to left to start the top of the sixth but Burks forced him at second. Brunansky banged into a double play to end the inning. Davis grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth but Harper singled to left. Hrbek grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Quintana singled to left to start the top of the seventh to chase Anderson from the game. Terry Leach came in and Carlos moved to second on the Pena grounder. Rivera reached first on an error by Knoblauch to chase Leach. Larry Casian came in to pitch and Boggs moved Quintana to third with fly out to center. Reed popped up to the mound to end the inning. The Twins took command in the bottom of the seventh although Larkin flied out to left to start. Leius walked and Gagne singled to center to chase Young from the game. Jeff Gray came in and Gladden doubled home both runners home to give the Twins the lead. Gladden moved to third on the Knoblauch fly ball to center and Puckett was intentionally walked. Davis whiffed to end the inning but the Twins had taken the lead 5-4. Young pitched well but ran out of gas, allowing 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Shane Mack took over for Larkin as the Sox rallied in the top of the eighth. Greenwell doubled to right to chase Casian. Steve Bedrosian came in for the six out save and Clark lined out to him. Burks walked but Brunansky popped up to second. Somehow Quintana bashed his first home run of the season to put the Sox back in front. Pena flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 7-5.
Gray returned briefly for the bottom of the eighth as Harper flied out to center to start. Hrbek popped up to third and Randy Bush pinch hit for Mack. Bush singled to center and Mike Pagliarulo pinch hit for Leius. Sox manager Joe Morgan countered by bringing in Jeff Reardon for the four out save. Pagliarulo grounded out to first to end the inning.
Rivera popped up to first to start the top of the ninth but Boggs walked. Reed popped up to third and Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Al Newman pinch hit for Gagne to start the bottom of the ninth but grounded out to second. Gladden flied out to right and Knoblauch popped up to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-5.
Hero of the Night is Carlos Quintana. His three run home run in the top of the eighth inning put the Sox up for good.
The Good:
Mike Greenwell was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.
Jack Clark was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Ellis Burks was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.
Jeff Reardon earned his 8th save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Luis Rivera was 0 for 4.
Matt Young allowed 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings.
The Ugly:
Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 but walked.
Jody Reed was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Tom Brunansky was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.
Tony Pena was just 1 for 4.
Jeff Gray allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 1 1/3 innings.
Final Thoughts:
It was an up and down month for sure but at least it ended on a high note. The pitching this month was solid but the offense left a lot to be desired. If the Sox had just a bit more punch they could have won 2-3 more games to give them a more comfortable lead in the AL East. The Sox ended the month of April in first place but some of those losses could have been avoided. Young fell apart in the seventh inning and Gray couldn't keep the Twins off the board, but Reardon saved the day again. The good news is if the Sox can get to the 8th inning with the lead, the game is pretty much over. They just need to get the lead in the first place. Jody Reed, Tony Pena and Tim Naehring are hitting under .200 but hopefully that's just a slow start. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins when they send Greg Harris to the mound to take on Scott Erickson of the Twins. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.
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