John Tomase explains how Alex Cora’s return has sparked the Red Sox and has kept them focused on the little things that win ballgames.
The Boston Red Sox have now won eight straight as they edged out the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Nathan Eovaldi outdueled Kenta Maeda, allowing five hits and two runs in five innings while striking out three. Maeda allowed seven hits and three runs in 4 1/3 innings and struck out five.
The Red Sox did all of their damage in the second inning. Hunter Renfroe got Boston on the board with an RBI single, then later scored on a throwing error by Maeda. Christian Arroyo notched an RBI single of his own to extend the Red Sox lead to three runs.
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Jorge Polanco cut it to one run in the third with a two-run single, but that was all the Twins offense could muster. Alex Verdugo robbed Luis Arraez of a potentially game-tying hit in the bottom of the seventh, and Boston squeaked out the victory.
Here's a complete recap of Game 1:
FINAL SCORE: Red Sox 3, Twins 2 (7 innings)
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RED SOX RECORD: 8-3
Red Sox vs. Twins highlights
Nathan Eovaldi strikes out Max Kepler:
Marwin Gonzalez makes a nice diving stop:
Alex Verdugo's game-winning grab: