MINNEAPOLIS — The Boston Red Sox are the highest-scoring team in the majors, and plenty of players in the lineup share the credit.
Xander Bogaerts happened to the hero Friday night.
Bogaerts matched a career high with four hits, including a three-run home run, and Steven Wright pitched into the eighth inning as the Red Sox topped the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Friday night.
Boston had 16 hits with Bogaerts leading the way.
“That guy is out of his mind,” Boston slugger David Ortiz said of Bogaerts.
Bogaerts opened the scoring with his homer in the fifth inning off Twins starter Tyler Duffey, a shot that landed in the bullpens in left-center field for a 3-0 lead.
Bogaerts’ chance to homer was the result of Minnesota’s inability to turn a double play earlier in the inning. Mookie Betts hit a grounder to third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who threw to second base. But Minnesota’s Brian Dozier lost the handle on the ball and couldn’t make the throw to first for an inning-ending double play.
“That’s why you’ve got to execute. You’ve got to get your outs when you can,” said Bogaerts, who raised his average to .349.
Minnesota didn’t have much of an answer for Wright (7-4) and his knuckleball. The Twins’ best threat came when they loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but they couldn’t push across a run.
Wright had tossed complete games in his previous three road starts before Friday. He left in the eighth inning after allowing a one-out single to Joe Mauer.
“His last four games on the road have been everything we could’ve signed up for,” Red Sox Manager John Farrell said. “He’s the same guy when he walks in the clubhouse, regardless of where the clubhouse might be around the country.”
Wright surrendered one unearned run in 71/3 innings. In his last five starts, the right-hander is 3-0 with a 0.99 ERA in 361/3 innings.
“For me, I want to finish every game,” Wright said. “But I think the ultimate goal is just to go as deep as you can and when they take the ball, turn it over to the bullpen.”
Boston added three runs off Duffey (2-5) in the sixth inning and two off reliever Michael Tonkin in the ninth.
“They kept adding on,” Twins Manager Paul Molitor said. “It turned out to be pretty lopsided.”
Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 16 games, the longest active streak in the majors. He finished 3 for 5 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI.
Duffey was knocked out after 51/3 innings and surrendered six runs and 10 hits. He has an ERA of 8.36 in his last five starts.
“If you miss, they have a lot of veteran guys, young guys, guys who’ve been swinging pretty hot bats all year,” Duffey said. “It’s a pretty tough lineup.”
Minnesota’s run came in the eighth inning. Eduardo Nunez reached on an error by first baseman Hanley Ramirez and scored on Robbie Grossman’s groundout.
Ortiz was honored before Friday’s game. He spent his first six seasons with the Twins before signing with the Red Sox in 2003. Before Friday, Ortiz ranked first all time in batting average (.435), on-base percentage (.487) and slugging (.899) among visiting players with at least 35 at-bats at Target Field. Ortiz went 2 for 5 with a double Friday.
NOTES: Farrell said OF Brock Holt (concussion) will go on a rehab assignment as soon as his symptoms have cleared. Holt has participated in baseball activities but still has “a slight trace” of concussion symptoms, Farrell said.
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