BOSTON — The Red Sox opened a three-game series against the Twins on Monday at Target Field, with Garrett Crochet set to take the ball for Boston and Bailey Ober scheduled to start for Minnesota.
Boston entered the game at 6-9 after beating the Cardinals 9-3 the previous day, its second straight win and a stretch in which it scored 16 runs over the past two games. Minnesota came in at 9-7 after an 8-2 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto, and the Twins had won six of their last seven games while sharing first place in the American League Central with the Guardians.
Crochet, 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA, was making his fourth start of the season. Ober entered 1-0 with a 5.27 ERA. The matchup gave Boston a chance to keep climbing after falling into an early hole, while Minnesota tried to extend a run that has put it at the top of its division.
The Red Sox have gotten there by steadying their offense and backing it with enough pitching to win consecutive games. Brayan Bello pitched 6.2 innings and allowed two runs on six hits in Boston’s win over St. Louis, a day after Minnesota got a similar lift from Taj Bradley, who earned his third win of the season by allowing one run over five innings against Toronto. That kind of sequencing has made both clubs look more like contenders than early-season afterthoughts.
For Boston, the test is whether the recent surge travels. The Red Sox were within two games of first place in the American League East entering Monday, and a win at Target Field would tighten that race even further. For Minnesota, the question is whether a lineup that has been winning consistently can keep forcing pressure on the Guardians and protect its place at the top of the Central.
