Ceddanne Rafaela hit the first Red Sox home run in seven games, Rafael Devers added another, and Boston ended Minnesota’s 12-game winning streak by beating the Twins 9-2 on Sunday.
Vaughn Grissom and Dominic Smith had two-run doubles, and Boston ended a three-game slide in which it scored just four runs.
“Losing two out of three here (stinks), but winning this one is very gratifying. It took a total team effort,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
Ryan Jeffers homered and Trevor Larnach had an RBI single for Minnesota.
The Twins’ 12-game winning streak was tied for the second-longest in team history behind a 15-win run in June 1991, the last season Minnesota won the World Series.
“It did feel like every time an opportunity arose in the past 12 games, it felt like we were always coming through,” said Carlos Correa. “Today was just one of the days that we’re not able to do that. But at the same time, looking at the big picture, it’s been a couple of good weeks. We’ve just got to keep going. It’s a fun team.”
With one out in the fifth, Rafaela hit a full count offering from Joe Ryan into the first row of the left center field seats for a two-run home run and a 3-1 lead. Rafaela hit the team’s previous round-tripper in last Saturday’s 17-0 win over the Cubs.
“I was just focusing to hit the ball and then good things happen,” said Rafaela, who played some old-school pepper before the game with hitting coach Pete Fatse to better get the barrel on the ball.
“He’s such a good athlete that he will,” Cora said.
Grissom had a two-run double for a 5-1 eighth-inning lead. Smith, the next batter, added a two-run double with the ball going off the glove of Manuel Margot who was battling the sun on a cloudless 69-degree afternoon.
It was Grissom’s first hit with Boston. Acquired in the offseason Chris Sale trade with Atlanta, Grissom started the year on the injured list and made his team debut Friday.
Devers hit a two-run shot in the ninth.
Boston starter Cooper Criswell, who threw five shutout innings in each of his last two starts, allowed one earned run and struck out five in 4 1/3 innings, but needed 80 pitches to do so.
Brennan Bernardino (1-1), the first of five Red Sox relievers, earned the win.
Tossing his team-high fifth quality start of the season, Ryan (1-2) allowed four hits and three earned runs while striking out five.
With the season’s second-largest home crowd of 29,638 in attendance, Jeffers hit a solo home run in the third inning for a 1-0 lead, a frame after Minnesota had a golden opportunity for some early damage.
Max Kepler, Correa and Larnach each singled to start the Minnesota second, but Criswell struck out Willi Castro and Carlos Santana before Jose Miranda hit a harmless bouncer back to Criswell.
“There are moments where if you’re able to do something, they really are tipping points, turning points. We’ve been doing it, today we just didn’t do it,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.
