Monroe homers twice, Twins hold on, 9-8

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Monroe homers twice, Twins hold on, 9-8
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Game played May 11, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Craig Monroe’s two long balls helped pace the Minnesota Twins to a 9-8 win in the third chapter of a four-game set with Boston. The Twins took a 7-1 lead through three innings and managed to hold off the Red Sox late for the win.

Minnesota took the lead for good with a five-run second inning. Justin Morneau led off with a single to left and Michael Cuddyer followed with a double to left to set the stage for Monroe’s three-run shot to left off Boston starter Tim Wakefield. Mike Lamb reached on a walk before Adam Everett hit a homer to left just past Red Sox left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury’s outstretched glove for a 5-0 advantage.

In the third, Boston got one run back when Ellsbury reached on a hit-by-pitch from Twins starter Nick Blackburn and scored on a Mike Lowell sacrifice fly to left.

In the bottom of the frame, the Twins continued to pile on. Morneau singled to center, then moved up on a passed ball on Boston catcher Kevin Cash and a Wakefield wild pitch. Delmon Young walked and took second on another passed ball on Cash. Lamb then singled to center, scoring Morneau and Young and chasing Wakefield from his shortest outing as a starter in nearly five years. After three innings, Minnesota led, 7-1.

The Red Sox re-entered striking distance with a three-run third. Coco Crisp led off with a triple to right and scored on a Cash single to center. Cash then scored on a Dustin Pedroia fielder’s choice before Pedroia scored on Kevin Youkilis’ single off Lamb’s glove, cutting the deficit to 7-4.

In the bottom of the inning, Minnesota got a run back after Joe Mauer walked and scored on an error on Lowell. However, Boston continued to draw closer in the seventh, when J.D. Drew singled to right before Crisp’s homer to right, making the score 8-6.

Monroe hit his second homer in the bottom of the seventh off reliever Mike Timlin for a 9-6 lead, setting the stage for a crazy ninth inning.

With closer Joe Nathan on for the Twins, Youkilis hit a one-out infield single to short. After Lowell singled to center, Drew doubled over Minnesota outfielder Carlos Gomez’s head, after Gomez started in after the ball. Youkilis scored on the play. Lowell scored on a fielder’s choice off Crisp’s bat to cut the score to 9-8 with two outs before Manny Ramirez, who had been sitting with a sore right hamstring, grounded out to end the game with the tying run on second.

Morneau went 3-for-3 for the Twins, with Monroe going 2-for-4. Blackburn (3-2) got the win, going six innings of nine-hit ball with four runs, a walk and five strikeouts. Matt Guerrier worked an inning before Dennys Reyes’s scoreless eighth. Nathan picked up his 12^th save.

For the Red Sox, Alex Cora’s 3-for-4 night led the way, while David Ortiz, Youkilis, Drew, Crisp and Cash all registered two hits. On the mound, Wakefield (3-2) took the loss, throwing 2 2/3 innings of seven-hit, seven-run baseball, with two walks and two punchouts. Julian Tavarez, David Aardsma, Timlin and Javier Lopez all also saw time on the hill.

With his scoreless inning, Reyes has now worked 11 1/3 scoreless innings this season.

19-17 Minnesota has a one-game lead in the AL Central over the White Sox and Cleveland, while Boston at 24-16 has a 1.5 game lead over surprising Tampa Bay in the East.

The finale of the set Monday night will pit Clay Buchholz for the Red Sox and Livan Hernandez for Minnesota.

Video credit- ESPN