Boston starting pitcher Clay Buchholz was too strong for the Minnesota Twins as the right-hander shut out the Twins and helped the Red Sox hold on to a 1-0 win in Boston Tuesday to open a four-game series at Fenway Park.
Twins starter Mike Pelfrey and Buchholz dueled through the first five innings. Pelfrey held the Red Sox to just five hits through the five innings, but Buchholz continued to puzzle the Twins, matching Pelfrey inning for inning.
Buchholz has put up 11 2/3 scoreless on the #MNTwins since those doubles by Plouffe and Suzuki last Tuesday. Has 8 Ks through 5 tonight.
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) June 3, 2015
Pelfrey escaped a jam in the sixth when Brian Dozier and Danny Santana turned a key double play on a ground ball off the bat of David Ortiz, with runners on first and second and no one out.
However, he wasn’t as fortunate in the seventh inning. After getting the first two hitters out, Pelfrey gave up a two-out double to Xander Bogaerts, and followed that with a walk to Sandy Leon. Rusney Castillo then followed with a clutch base hit to score Bogaerts and break the ice.
Moments later it was Castillo who reached over the low Fenway wall in right field to take a home run away from Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks that would have tied the game in the eighth.
Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter and Eddie Rosario had the only Twins hits on the night.
Boston closer Koji Uehara came on to close out the game in the ninth with his 11th save.
The Twins and Red Sox play a split doubleheader on Wednesday. Phil Hughes (4-4) throws the first game, while Trevor May (3-3) will throw game two.
