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KYLE GIBSON |
THE BEST RED SOX TEAM EVAH! ...
Kyle Gibson holds down the Sox bats
July 26,
2018 ... In their series opener against the Twins,
it was Kyle
Gibson who shut the Sox down.
Mitch
Garver hit a tiebreaking RBI double with two outs
in the eighth inning, and Minnesota held on to beat the Sox 2-1 on.
Gibson (5-7) limited The Sox to four hits and one run in eight innings. Fernando
Rodney surrendered a single and back-to-back walks to load the
bases in the ninth, but he struck out Jackie
Bradley Jr. to complete the five-hitter and earn his 22nd
save.
The Red Sox took the lead in the second on Mookie
Betts‘ double-play grounder, and it held up until the seventh,
when Minnesota also scored on a double play.
Eddie Rosario was
thrown out at home in the sixth on a relay that went from Bradley to Rafael
Devers to Brock
Holt to catcher Blake
Swihart. Bradley also threw out Mauer at home in the first.
The Sox’s Heath
Hembree and Matt
Barnes (3-3) combined to give up four hits and both of
Minnesota’s runs after Hembree relieved starter Brian
Johnson in the sixth. Johnson allowed three hits in the first
inning. He then retired 14 straight before surrendering a walk in the sixth.
His night ended after 5 2/3 innings, in which he allowed
four hits and struck out five. It was one of the best starts in the major
leagues for Johnson, who’s worked mostly out of the bullpen this season. Johnson
will now head back to the bullpen after the Sox acquired Nathan Eovaldi from
Tampa Bay, and he said the change in assignment doesn’t bother him.
The Twins (48-53) have won four straight. The Sox (71-33)
have lost three of five. Its lead in the AL East fell to 4 1/2 games over the
New York Yankees, who beat Kansas City. |