Red Sox lose to streaking Twins as series opener gets away after squandered first-inning opportunity - The Boston Globe

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Instead, the Sox were left feeling frustrated after a 5-2 loss before a crowd of 24,488 at Target Field.

Make it 11 victories in a row for the Twins, their longest streak since 2006 and the longest in the majors this season. Chris Paddack (3-1) and four relievers held the Sox to four hits and struck out 13 with one walk.

The Sox have a bullpen game set for Saturday with Brennan Bernardino getting the start against Pablo López.

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If only Rafael Devers hadn't hit the ball so hard in the first inning, Friday's game might have been different.

Jarren Duran grounded to shortstop to open the game. His speed down the line unnerved Carlos Correa, who booted the ball. Devers then lined a fastball to the gap in right field for a double.

The ball, which had an exit velocity of 111.9 m.p.h., was hit too hard for Duran to score. Paddack then struck out Tyler O'Neill swinging at a high fastball before Wilyer Abreu popped to shortstop and Garrett Cooper grounded to second base.

The Sox didn't advance a runner into scoring position again until the eighth inning. By then they were down, 5-0.

Devers was 2 for 4 with two doubles, a walk, and two RBIs. He has hit safely in nine consecutive games, going 15 of 33 with seven walks. The hot streak has raised his OPS to .929.

Ceddanne Rafaela singled in the third inning, but was thrown out stealing. Devers drew a two-out walk in the sixth, but Paddack again went to a high fastball to strike out O'Neill and hold a 1-0 lead.

Paddack came into the game with a 5.88 ERA in five starts, but he held the Sox to two hits and struck out six with one walk.

Tanner Houck was charged with four runs in six-plus innings and saw his record drop to 3-3.Matt Krohn/Associated Press

Willi Castro led off the third inning with a double down the line in left field. Houck got two ground outs before Edouard Julien dropped an 0-and-2 sinker, a pitch that was left up, into left field to drive in the run.

Houck got through six innings on 90 pitches. On some nights, that would have been enough. But the Sox had used four relievers Thursday against the Giants and had Saturday's bullpen game planned.

"We needed him to go deep in the game," Cora said. "That's what the good ones do."

The game got away from the Sox.

Trevor Larnach and Carlos Santana led off the inning with singles. Jose Miranda was called on to sacrifice and pushed the ball in front of the plate.

Catcher Reese McGuire had a play at second base, but fired an off-balance throw into center field. Pinch-runner Austin Martin scored, and that was it for Houck after 99 pitches.

"If we get that out, we're one pitch away [from ending the inning]," Cora said. "[McGuire] just threw it away."

Naoyuki Uwasawa came in and walked No. 9 hitter Miranda on five pitches to load the bases.

The Sox got an out at the plate, but Uwasawa was called for a pitch-timer violation on a three-ball count to Julien. The walk forced in a run. Ryan Jeffers then lined a two-run double to the gap in left to break the game open.

Houck (3-3) was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks over six-plus innings and struck out five.

"I wouldn't say it was my best in terms of stuff," the righthander said. "Getting into the seventh again, I want to go out there and finish it."

Devers added a two-run double to left field with two outs in the eighth inning, the 409-foot shot hitting the outfield fence on the fly.

O'Neill again struck out with a chance to drive in a run. He was 0 for 4, striking out three times and leaving four runners on base.

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him @PeteAbe.

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