Twins rough up Red Sox early to claim series opener

TL;DR

The Twins defeated the Red Sox 13-6 in the series opener, supported by a strong offensive performance. Bailey Ober earned the win, pitching six innings with four earned runs and seven strikeouts.

Final:

Twins 13, Red Sox 6

Starting Pitcher Performance:

Bailey Ober was able to pitch with an massive lead thanks to an offensive explosion in the early stages of the game. That paved the way for him to earn a relatively easy win despite not necessarily having his best stuff. He scattered seven hits and four earned runs across six innings of work. He also had seven strikeouts.

This is the second straight start during which Ober was aided by a ton of run support. He boasts a 2-0 record with a 5.49 ERA thanks in large part to his teammates literally going to bat for him.

Player of the Game:

Byron Buxton cranked his first home run of the season to leapfrog Max Kepler and become the all time home run leader in the history of Target Field. He has officially hit 85 home runs at Target Field in his career.

That milestone moment from Buxton overshadowed an impressive performance from Ryan Jeffers. He 3 for 3 with a solo home run and trio of RBIs. He also scored three runs himself and successfully challenged another call behind the plate.

Key Moment:

After getting off to a hot start with four runs in the first inning, the Twins followed it up by tagging the Red Sox for seven runs in the second inning. That outburst from the Twins effectively chased lefty ace Garrett Crochet from the game.

Luke Keaschall got the party started in the first inning by lacing an RBI double down the third baseline. That was just the beginning for the Twins as they pushed a few more runs across and never looked back.

The lead grew in the second inning thanks to a series of productive plate appearances fro, which included Jeffers driving in a run with a single, then Josh Bell driving in a pair of runs with a double.

Victor Caratini busted the game wide open with a massive three-run home run that caromed off the upper deck in left field. Ryan Kreidler added a solo home run for good measure.