Alex Cora taking Garrett Crochet out during the first game of the series against the Minnesota Twins (Via Abbie Parr/Ap Photo).

Traveling ~560 miles from St. Louis to Minneapolis for the second half of their road trip, the Red Sox looked to build off the momentum created from the Cardinals series, in which they won two out of three games and sat three games under .500. Playing a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, a series win, or even a sweep, could put them back in striking distance to fully take the reins back of their early struggles in the season.

Instead, it was quite the opposite, as the Twins just kicked them tooth and nail through the first two games, taking advantage of every single mistake made by the Boston pitching and defense, while silencing their bats in the process. They flat out dominated in all assets of the game, and despite the Red Sox taking a commanding victory in the series finale, they lost their fourth series of the season two games to one, and ended their road trip at a 3-3 clip. They now find themselves right back where they started their road trip being four games under .500 at a 7-11 record, with only the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox having a worse record.

Game 1:

Garrett Crochet put up the worst start of his career, allowing 11 runs (10 earned) to cross the plate in just one-and-two-third innings of pitching (Via Stephen Maturen/Getty Images).

This game marked the beginning of the fourth time around in the rotation, as Garrett Crochet and Bailey Ober faced off against each other on the mound. Needless to say, Minnesota had Crochet’s number, in every sense of the word.

After a quick one-two-three first inning by the Boston bats, Crochet got a quick first out by getting Byron Buxton to fly out to center, but after that, it was all Twins baseball. Austin Martin doubled down the left field line in the very next at-bat, and after a wild pitch that allowed him to advance to third, scored on another double, this time by Luke Keaschall. He too came around to score on the very next at bat, as Ryan Jeffers floated a ball into left field for an RBI single and a quick 2-0 lead.

After getting Josh Bell to fly out to right for the second out, Crochet loaded up the bases on a walk to Victor Caratini and Matt Wallner getting hit by a pitch. Ryan Jeffers stepped up to the plate and hit a groundball back up the middle. Trevor Story dove and got a glove on it as he tried to flip it over to second for the third out, but lost his glove and the ball, allowing two more runs to cross the plate, and after the first inning, it was 4-0 Minnesota.

The worst was yet to come for Crochet and the Red Sox however in the second, as the Twins quickly loaded up the bases again in the second inning, with Buxton going back up the middle for a single, along with walks to Martin and Keaschall. With nobody out, Minnesota strung three-consecutive hits; an RBI single to left by Jeffers, Bell going off the wall in right-center field for a two-run double, and Caratini going 423 feet to the second deck in left field for a three-run home run. In the blink of an eye, the Twins were up 10-0 in the second inning without even recording an out.

Crochet did record the next two outs via a Wallner 3-1 groundout and a Brooks Lee flyout, before Ryan Kriedler tattoo’d a 92.7 mph fastball by Crochet nearly 440 feet to the second deck for a solo home run and an 11-0 Minnesota lead, knocking him out of the game with Jovani Morán entering to get out of the inning.

Only lasting one-and-two-third innings, it was not only the worst start of Crochet’s career, but quite possibly the worst start by a Boston pitcher ever. He allowed 11 runs (ten earned), the first time a Red Sox pitcher allowed that many runs in less than two innings in team history, on nine hits and three walks, failing to record a strikeout.

His four-seam fastball velocity was down, averaging 94.9 mph compared to 96.1 mph this season, and his spin for all his pitches were down, averaging 2,510 revolutions per minute (RPM) on his cutter, lower than his 2,629 RPM season average. He also could not locate his pitches, with Cora saying after that he had nothing going against righties, typically going inside against them. While not confirmed, there is speculation that in addition to the lower velocity, spin, and control, that Crochet may have also been tipping his pitches, and with how he looked, it would not surprise many if that were the case.

But a game still had to be played, and in the third inning, the Red Sox got a few runs on the board with a two-out rally. Roman Anthony and Caleb Durbin began it with back to back doubles – Anthony going off the right field wall and Durbin keeping it fair down the left field line – to make it 1-0. Jarren Duran then ripped a middle-middle changeup off the facade in right-center field for a two-run home run, making it 11-3.

The game stood that way until the fifth inning as Ryan Watson entered the game after two-and-a-third scoreless innings from Morán. On just the fourth pitch he threw in his outing, Buxton hit his outside cutter 420 feet over the ‘403 sign in right-center field for a solo homer. After recording the next two outs, Jeffers lined a sinker low-and-inside just keeping it high enough to go over the wall in left field for another home run, ending Minnesota’s scoring barrage with 13 runs on the night and making it 13-3 at the time.

After Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu each recorded singles to begin the sixth inning, Story recorded another RBI – now making it six of his last seven games where he recorded at least one – by hitting a hard chopper back up the middle into centerfield for a single. Then, in the seventh inning, after Anthony walked and Durbin singled to put runners on first and second, they both scored thanks to RBI singles by Andruw Monasterio (who pinch hit for Contreras) and Abreu to make it 13-6, which wound up being your final.

The offense certainly did its part, collecting ten hits and four walks while collecting five hits with runners in scoring position, but unfortunately, a career-worst start by Crochet was far too much to overcome.

Game 2:

Jack Anderson struck out four batters through three innings in his Major League debut (Via MLB).

Looking to even up the series, Sonny Gray took the mound against Mick Abel, as Masataka Yoshida and Isiah Kiner-Falefa got the start in the lineup, with Duran moving down in the order to seventh and Ceddanne Rafaela and Marcelo Mayer getting a day off. Despite a two-out single by Yoshida in the first, Boston failed to get anything going, and the Twins took advantage once again.

Buxton began a four-hit game by singling back up the middle, then advancing to second on a balk by Gray. Keaschall then blooped a ball into centerfield that Duran played on a hop, making a strong throw to the cutoff man in Contreras, but he wound up double clutching and despite initially being out at home, the call wound up getting overturned as Buxton was safe and Minnesota quickly led 1-0.

After a quiet second inning by both sides, Buxton came up again in the third to leadoff the inning. Gray hung the very first pitch he threw that inning in his curveball, and Buxton got all of it, going over 400 ft to the second deck for a solo home run, and extending the Twins lead to 2-0.

Despite working around traffic over the first three innings, including working out of a bases loaded jam in the third inning, Gray was not able to shake it in the fourth, beginning the inning by allowing another leadoff homer, this time to Lee, as he turned on an inside fastball going 371 feet into the seats in right field to make it 3-0. Then, three consecutives hits came across for Minnesota, as Tristan Gray and Buxton each singled, with both of them being driven home on a two-run single, this time by Trevor Larnach, who wound up hitting it too hard at 104.5 mph into the right field corner, as Abreu got to it quickly and threw him out trying to stretch the base hit into a double. Gray induced groundouts to Keaschall and Bell, but the damage was done.

Throwing four innings and 93 pitches (51 strikes), the cold in Minneapolis seemed to have gotten to Gray, as he allowed five runs on nine hits and a walk, striking out a batter. He noted after the game that he was not able to focus the way he normally does on the mound, and that PitchCom issues early on in the game led to the first inning balk. His command was inconsistent throughout the start as well, at one point before hitting Caratini in the third inning for his 62nd pitch of his outing, eight of the previous nine pitches were thrown for balls.

In the fifth inning, Duran led off the inning by grounding out to second base, and on the way back, he proceeded to make an obscene gesture toward a fan in the stands, later saying that it was due to the fan telling him to “k*** himself.” Andruw Monasterio also entered the game in the bottom-of-the-inning for Contreras, who left due to lower back tightness, though Cora said it was just precautionary and not a long-term issue.

In addition, Jack Anderson, the Red Sox Rule 5 pick from the Triple-A phase of the 2024 draft, made his Major League debut helping to preserve the bullpen. Getting the news early Tuesday morning and traveling from Nashville to Minneapolis, the former 16th round pick was the lone bright spot in the game, beginning his career by striking out the side in the fifth inning. He began the sixth inning in the same groove by quickly getting the first two outs, before Buxton golfed a low slider out of the zone and sent it 438 feet into the bullpen for his second home run of the game, making it 6-0 which wound up being the final score.

Anderson wound up going one-two-three once again in the seventh inning, ultimately throwing three innings allowing one run on one hit and one walk, while striking out four batters. What worked well for him in his Major League debut, was the use of the splitter, getting three of his four strikeouts of the pitch, as well as a 46% whiff rate and 70% chase rate. He also showcased the ability to get batters to chase outside of the zone, ultimately generating eight whiffs and a 44% chase rate on such pitches. Having experience both as a starter and long reliever, Anderson may very well play a pivotal role on the team this season if he continues this success.

Meanwhile, for the Boston bats, Abel had his way with the lineup. Throwing seven shutout innings, he allowed just four hits, while striking out ten en route to a win. On the day itself, only four Red Sox players collected hits in the game, with two each from Anthony and Yoshida, along with one for Story and Kiner-Falefa, while the team as a whole struck out twelve times and walked once in a non-competitive game.

Game 3:

Trevor Story collected a home run, a double, and five RBIs to help the Red Sox avoid the sweep in the series finale (Via Abbie Parr/AP Photo).

Looking to avoid the sweep in the series finale on Jackie Robinson Day, Boston sent out Connelly Early to make the start, going up against the Twins rebuttal in Simeon Woods Richardson. Cora also made some notable changes to the lineup, with Anthony in right field, Monasterio at first base, and Kiner-Falefa at third base, while moving Rafaela to the two-slot and giving Contreras and Abreu a day off.

At first, it seemed like the game was going to end up the same way as before, as the Red Sox failed to capitalize in the first inning on a second and third, one-out situation as Rafaela drew a walk and Yoshida hit an opposite field double. On top of that, Martin catapulted a fastball 406 feet into the second deck for a solo home run, which was the first home run Early has ever allowed as a Major Leaguer, to make it 1-0 Minnesota.

However, that turned out to be all the Twins could muster up until the ninth inning, and Boston took advantage of their offensive drought in the third inning. Loading the bases on a Kiner-Falefa single, Anthony walk, and Rafaela single, Yoshida scorched a groundball right at Keaschall, who could not handle it and proceeded to rush his throw, sailing over first base on a fielding and throwing error that allowed two runners to score and gave the team a lead for the first time all series long, 2-1. The Red Sox made it a comfortable lead on the very next batter, as Story connected on a curveball, sending it 411 feet and 101.8 mph off the bat for a three-run home run to make it a 5-1 ballgame.

They failed to score after loading the bases in the fourth inning, but in the fifth, Boston made sure not to squander another opportunity, as Story drew a leadoff walk, and Duran reaching on the force out at second base from a groundball, Monasterio split the gap in right-center field, easily allowing Duran to score all the way from first base on an RBI double. Mayer then went the other way for a single to put runners on the corners, as Connor Wong laid down a beauty of a sacrifice bunt, allowing Monasterio as they took a 7-1 lead.

Putting the final touches on their scoring barrage in the sixth inning, Anthony led off the inning with a single and Rafaela got hit by a sinker. Yoshida moved the runners over into scoring position on a groundout, and Story continued teeing off, one-hopping the wall in right-center field for a two-run double, giving him five RBIs on the afternoon and the Red Sox tying their season high nine runs scored.

That was more than enough run support for Connelly Early to wrap up the team’s best start all season. Going six innings, which was a first in his big league career, he allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five. Doing it against a lineup that has feasted off left-handed pitching all season long, Early was able to stay on the outer-half very well throughout most of the start, generating seven whiffs and a 33% called strikes and whiffs rate (CSW). With slightly warmer temperatures in Minneapolis, his fastball was able to touch 97 mph, a good sign after concerns of a slight velocity dip in his last start.

It would be up to the bullpen to preserve the game, as Danny Coulombe pitched a one-two-three seventh inning against the team he played for just a season ago, and Garrett Whitlock allowed a hit and a walk but two strikeouts helped him escape the jam in the eighth. Ryan Watson pitched the ninth looking to get the final three outs, but struggled out of the gate, allowing a leadoff single to Gray and after a one-out walk to Wallner to put runners on first and second, Lee took a ball the other way for an RBI single for another run, and Kriedler brought everybody home, taking an up and in sinker 104.1 mph into the seats in left for his second home run of the series, making it 9-5.

However, Watson retired the next two batters, and Boston avoided the sweep, collecting their first win this season in which the other team scored first.

MVP of the Series:

After tossing six innings of one run ball on just two hits and two walks, Connelly Early is the MVP of the Series (Via MLB).

Losing a series makes the decision tough, and it gets even tougher in how they actually lost the series itself. However, an honorable mention belongs to Anthony, who collected five hits and reached base eight times in the three games, starting to show signs of settling back in as the hitter most expected him to be.

With not much happening on either side of the ball in the first two games, the MVP of this series comes down to the two stars of the lone win in Story and Early. While Story’s bat did play a pivotal role with two extra base hits and five RBIs, it was Early’s pitching that sealed the deal in both the win and the pick for MVP.

Allowing just one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five, he has proven himself to be the lone constant in the starting rotation thus far in the early going. Factoring in that this was a series where the Red Sox ace in Crochet and number two in Gray struggled mightily, Early’s contributions on the mound stand out even further and show why he is deserving of the honor.

What’s Next?:

The series overall showed on full display how truly up-and-down this team can be, demonstrating how really good they can be in the series finale, but also how they can look completely overmatched in the first two games. Right when it seemed as if they finally were starting to find their footing, many now are questioning what exactly is the real version of this team.

Fortunately, with 144 games left to play in the regular season, there is still plenty of time to figure out the answer to that question. After all, April and May in a season is about finding out who you are as a team and what your needs are.

For now, it is all about climbing back to .500, and after the off day yesterday as they travel back to Fenway, Boston will play 13 games in a row, beginning with a homestand and a four-game series with the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox will send out Ranger Suarez tonight at 7:15 PM EST against Casey Mize, Brayan Bello will face back to back reigning back to back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 PM EST, Crochet will look to rebound against the Tigers big ticket free agent this past offseason, Framber Valdez, on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 PM EST, and finally, a Patriots Day Monday featuring Gray on the mound against Jack Flaherty, with a morning first pitch at 11:10 AM EST. Tomorrow’s game is exclusively available to watch on Apple TV, but the rest of the games will be on NESN, and all will be available to listen to on WEEI 93.7 FM.

With it being a big weekend in Boston already with the marathon coming up, hopefully the good energy and vibes can make its way over to Fenway and this team.