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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
BOSTON (AP) – Carl Everett knocked down the surprising Minnesota
Twins with a grand slam over the Green Monster.
|  | | Carl Everett's sixth career grand slam gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. He also had an RBI single in Boston's 9-4 win. |
Everett's drive gave the Boston Red Sox the lead for good in the
second inning, and they went on to a 9-4 win Tuesday night in the
matchup of division leaders.
Everett's sixth career grand slam made the score 5-3 on a
fastball from Mark Redman (1-2), who earlier had fooled Everett on
changeups.
"He just didn't get away with the one pitch to Everett," Twins
manager Tom Kelly said. "Carl deposited it where he's supposed to
and that changed the game."
But the Twins, who began the night with baseball's best record
at 14-3 after having the AL's worst record last year, remained
optimistic.
"We're still on a roll," said Redman, who allowed five runs,
seven hits and two wild pitches in 1 2/3 innings. "One game's not
going to make a difference."
The Twins, with baseball's lowest payroll, are 10-2 in their
last 12 games and lead the AL Central by three games over
Cleveland.
Boston, with baseball's second highest payroll, is 14-6 after
winning seven of its last nine and leads the AL East by one game
over Toronto.
Paxton Crawford (2-0) pitched four scoreless innings after
allowing three runs in the first, and Tim Wakefield worked the last
four for his second save, giving up only Matt Lawton's second homer
of the season.
"If we continue like this, who knows what may happen," Everett
said. "I've been trying to do too much. I've been overswinging.
I'm still climbing and not where I should be but I'll get there."
Everett also singled in a run in the seventh before Boston
scored two in the eighth on run-scoring hits by Darren Lewis (a
double) and Manny Ramirez (a single).
Ramirez went 3-for-5 for the second straight game and leads the
AL with a .429 batting average and 22 RBI.
Minnesota struck first in the opening inning when Luis Rivas hit
his second homer of the season. Lawton then walked, took second on
Corey Koskie's single and scored on David Ortiz's single. Koskie
came in on Torii Hunter's groundout.
"I was nervous and jumping up and down in the first inning,"
Crawford said. "After the first, I settled down and got in a
groove."
The Red Sox loaded the bases in the first on singles by Chris
Stynes, Jose Offerman and Ramirez. Stynes scored on a wild pitch.
Boston took charge on Everett's grand slam, his third homer of
the year, after singles by Mike Lansing and Stynes and a walk to
Offerman.
"It was like a big weight was lifted off my shoulders,"
Crawford said.
Dante Bichette's first homer of the year put Boston ahead 6-3
against J.C. Romero in the fifth. Lawton's second homer made it 6-4
in the seventh.
Game notes
Ramirez is 33-for-54 when he puts the ball in play. He's
struck out 23 times. He's reached base in all 20 games. ... Twins
SS Cristian Guzman missed his first game of the season with a
dislocated left ring finger. Denny Hocking started in his place.
... Boston 3B Shea Hillenbrand's second nine-game hitting streak
ended. He's hit safely in 18 of his 20 games. ... John Valentin,
recovering from major knee surgery last May, went 2-for-4 with a
homer and two RBI Tuesday night for Pawtucket in the International
League team's 4-3 win over Syracuse. ... A win would have given
Minnesota baseball's best start since Milwaukee went 17-1 in 1987.
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OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 9
Minnesota 4
Anaheim 7
Cleveland 2
Baltimore 8
Detroit 3
Seattle 7
NY Yankees 5
Toronto 7
Texas 5
Tampa Bay 4
Kansas City 2
Oakland 6
Chi. White Sox 4
Houston 11
Atlanta 6
Milwaukee 6
NY Mets 4
St. Louis 7
Montreal 2
Colorado 14
Chicago Cubs 1
Arizona 9
Florida 8
Philadelphia 12
San Diego 7
Pittsburgh 5
Los Angeles 1
Cincinnati 9
San Francisco 5
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Patience at the plate during Carl Everett's second at-bat translated into a grand slam (Courtesy: WFXT).
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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