BOSTON — Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner both had RBI singles in the 12th inning and the Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Friday night.
Winning for just the sixth time in their last 17 games, the Twins moved a game ahead Detroit, which lost 8-1 to the Baltimore Orioles, for the American League's third and final wild-card spot. The Twins hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers.
Trevor Story had an RBI single for the Red Sox, who are 7-14 in their last 21 games and trail the Twins by five games with eight to play. They are also behind the Tigers and Seattle.
Red Sox rookie right-hander Richard Fitts became the first in club history — and only the second in the majors since 1901 — to not allow an earned run over five innings or more in his first three big league starts. He gave up five hits with three strikeouts and a walk over five shutout innings.
Cincinnati left-hander Andrew Abbott is the other pitcher to start his career that way, when he also didn’t give up an earned run in his first three starts last season.
With runners on first and third and no outs, Larnach hit a high chop that ticked off the top of the glove of the leaping 6-foot-6 Cooper Criswell (6-5) that scored the go-ahead run. Wallner singled through a drawn-in infield and Willi Castro added a sacrifice fly.
Scott Blewett (1-0) worked the 11th for the victory and Griffin Jax got the final three outs for his 10th save despite allowing a run.
“That was incredibly impressive and gutsy, come up with all the words,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You feel it watching that game. We felt it in the dugout the whole game. It was a very intense, good type game.”
The Red Sox struck out a club record-tying 20 times and left 17 runners on. The Twins left 15 on base.
“Plenty of chances,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We didn't cash in.”
Both teams left two runners on in the 10th and 11th innings.
“It's good to get back in the win column,'' said reliever Cole Sands, who struck out three in one inning after giving up a leadoff double. ”All the bullpen guys did their job."
The Twins (81-73) are just 11-20 since being 17 games over .500 on August 17.
The 24-year-old Fitts was acquired in an offseason trade from the rival Yankees along with righty Greg Weissert and another minor-league pitcher for outfielder Alex Verdugo.
Story’s single gave Boston a 1-0 edge in the fourth against Minnesota starter David Festa.
The Twins tied it in the seventh when Byron Buxton scored from third on Carlos Correa’s fielder’s choice against Chris Martin on a ground ball not hit hard enough for an inning-ending double play.
Boston left the bases loaded against Jhoan Duran in the eighth when Ceddanne Rafaela lined softy to second.
In his last inning, Fitts escaped a first-and-third, one-out jam by getting Jose Miranda on a fielder’s choice before Carlos Santana flied to right.
Festa allowed only a run and four hits, striking out six and walking three in five innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers left in extra innings. His shoulders have been nagging him for months. After that game Cora said: “Probably, this is it for him" and that he'll get an MRI on his right shoulder Saturday. ... Placed OF Rob Refsnyder on the 10-day injured list with a strained right forearm. … LF Jarren Duran banged his right arm and shoulder against the Green Monster, making a leaping grab, and was checked on quickly by a team trainer, but stayed in.
UP NEXT
Twins RHP Pablo López (15-8, 3.84 ERA) is scheduled to face Red Sox RHP Kutter Crawford (8-15, 4.19) on Saturday.
