MINNEAPOLIS — Despite a late-game letup and some scary moments in the ninth inning, the Boston Red Sox weren’t going to complain about a win and a series sweep on the road. After building another big lead, the Red Sox survived a Minnesota Twins rally Wednesday, winning 7-6 to sweep the three-game series at Target Field. “We got a win. That’s what it’s all about at the end,” Rex Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. Mike Aviles hit a three-run home run, and Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-4 for the Red Sox, who improved to 4-5 away from Fenway Park. Clay Buchholz (1-2) pitched 5 1/3 innings and got the win despite allowing five runs on 10 hits. “Clay was very much improved,” Valentine said. “He kept the ball down much better and had a very good curveball tonight. That’s the best curveball I’ve seen him have.” Boston closer Alfredo Aceves came on in the ninth and ran into trouble, walking Trevor Plouffe, giving up a single to Ryan Doumit and hitting Alexi Casilla to load the bases. However, Aceves struck out Denard Span to get his fourth save in six opportunities. Minnesota trailed 7-1 before making a charge in the sixth, sending 10 men to the plate in the inning and scoring five times. Span and Justin Morneau both hit RBI doubles, and Buchholz was chased from the game after 107 pitches. The scariest moment of the game came with two on and one out, as Red Sox reliever Justin Thomas threw an inside fastball that hit Twins first baseman Chris Parmelee on the brim of his batting helmet. “You never want to see that happen to anybody,” said Thomas, admitting he was rattled when he came out of the game. “I was going up and in, and it just ran in a little more than I wanted it to. He stayed in on it, and it ran back into him.” After lying motionless at the plate for more than a minute, Parmelee was helped up by trainers and left the field under his own power. Thomas was pulled from the game and left to a chorus of boos from the crowd of 32,254. Thomas said he sent a message over to the Twins clubhouse and said he was hoping that Parmelee was doing OK. The Twins took their fifth consecutive loss. “It will be good to get them a day off. A little bit of a break here,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Regroup for the weekend and hopefully we’ll play a better series this weekend and win some ballgames and get back on the road. It’s been a long stretch here of 15 games, with some tough travel and some tough baseball teams, and we’re breathing, let’s put it that way.” After a quiet first inning, the Boston bats came to life in the second. David Ortiz walked, went to second on a Kevin Youkilis single, then scored when Cody Ross singled to center. With two on and two outs, Aviles homered to left, giving Boston a 4-0 lead. Minnesota got a run back in the second when Ben Revere doubled and scored on Casilla’s single to center. But the Red Sox soon rebuilt their lead. With runners on second and third and two outs in the third inning, Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to center and rounded first. Caught in a rundown, Saltalamacchia avoided the tag long enough to allow both Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez to score for a 6-1 Boston lead. The Red Sox added another run in the fifth when Pedroia hit a leadoff triple, then scored on Gonzalez’s RBI single. Minnesota had chances to chip away, putting runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings, but Buchholz hung on. “It’s been like that all year,” Buchholz said. “I think I’ve had two clean innings. It’s a struggle when you’re out there throwing pitches and guys are putting them in play. That’s got to change. It can’t stay like that all year.” Twins starter Liam Hendriks (0-1) was lifted in the fifth after allowing nine hits. He was charged with seven runs. “Without a doubt, I let the team down completely tonight,” said Hendriks, who was making his third start of the season. NOTES: Revere started in left for Minnesota after Josh Willingham went on paternity leave. Willingham’s wife, Ginger, gave birth to the couple’s third son, named Rogan, on Wednesday afternoon at a Twin Cities hospital. … Gonzalez was responsible for nearly half of the 31 pitches Hendriks threw in the first inning. Gonzalez fouled off nine pitches and bounced out to short on the 15th pitch of the at-bat to end the inning. … Ross left the game in the sixth inning due to soreness in his left knee. … Wednesday was the fifth time this season that the Red Sox have had 10 or more hits in a game, which is tied with Texas for the best in baseball.

Josh Beckett had five strikeouts and one confrontation with an umpire in six sharp innings and David Ortiz homered with three RBIs to lead the Boston Red Sox to an 11-2 romp over the Minnesota Twins last night.

Beckett (2-2) allowed two runs and five hits and Mike Aviles went 4 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs for the Red Sox, who had no trouble with this big lead after squandering a nine-run advantage in a loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday.

Beckett jawed with home plate umpire Adrian Johnson after a rough first inning, but the fiery Texan finished his evening by striking out the side in the sixth.

Nick Blackburn (0-2) gave up five runs and eight hits in just three innings for the Twins.

Beckett had a heck of a time in the first inning, needing 37 pitches to grind through it. He walked three straight hitters, including Justin Morneau with the bases loaded, to make it 3-1.

Beckett gave several long looks into Johnson on a couple of close pitches to Josh Willingham and Danny Valencia. After getting Valencia to ground out to end the inning, Beckett let out a scream as he walked off the mound and yelled “That’s (expletive) five outs!” in Johnson’s direction. As Johnson started to walk toward Beckett, manager Bobby Valentine briefly left the dugout to diffuse the situation.

The only trouble Beckett gave the rest of the way was to the Twins offense. Willingham doubled home Jamey Carroll in the fifth, but that was all Minnesota could muster.

Ortiz’s monster, two-run shot in the third inning landed on the stairway in right field — an estimated 429 feet — to make it 5-1. It was the continuation of an incredible start for the 36-year-old slugger, who is hitting .444 with three homers and 15 RBIs. His 28 hits are a career-high for April.

Adrian Gonzalez had three hits and two RBIs and Scott Atchison and Matt Albers pitched three innings of scoreless relief.

The Red Sox led the Yankees 9-0 after five innings on Saturday, but their beleaguered bullpen gave it all back and then some, including consecutive seven-run frames in a loss that Valentine termed rock bottom. They have rebounded with two strong performances in Minnesota, which has lost four straight and is sinking plenty fast itself.

Blackburn left his previous start in the sixth inning with stiffness in his right shoulder and was skipped the next time through the rotation. He gave up three runs and five hits in the first and needed 71 pitches to get through three innings.

Left-hander Matt Maloney didn’t fare any better, getting tagged for five runs and eight hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Willingham had two hits and an RBI for Minnesota.

NOTES: OF Carl Crawfordflew from Ft. Myers, Fla., to Boston for an examination on his strained left elbow. Valentine said they were “still gathering information” but said it would remain a concern until he was deemed 100 percent. Crawford has yet to play this season. … The Twins placed INF Tsuyoshi Nishioka on the minor league DL with a high ankle sprain. GM Terry Ryansaid Nishioka could miss 10 days with the injury. … The Twins planned to call up OF Ben Revere from Triple-A Rochester today to replace Willingham, who is taking three days of paternity leave while his wife has the couple’s third child. … The Red Sox will send struggling RHP Clay Buchholz (1-1, 9.00 ERA) to the mound to go for the series sweep against Minnesota’s RHP Liam Hendriks (0-0, 3.86 ERA) tonight. Buchholz gave up six earned runs and five home runs in a loss to the Yankees last week.

MINNEAPOLIS — The struggles of the Minnesota Twins’ starting pitchers continued Tuesday, as the Boston Red Sox put on an offensive show, winning 11-2 at Target Field. Nick Blackburn (0-3) allowed eight hits in three innings. His replacement, Matt Maloney, gave up another eight in less than two innings as the Twins dropped their third in a row. The Red Sox got 18 hits, improving to 2-0 on their seven-game, seven-day road trip. Mike Aviles tied a career best with four hits, including two doubles and a solo home run, and Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with three runs. Josh Beckett (2-2) labored early but settled down, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out five in six innings. Minnesota’s starting pitchers are now a collective 2-10 for the season and have allowed 122 hits, which is the most in baseball. Boston hit Blackburn early and often in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead when five of their first six batters got a hit. Aviles sent the third pitch of the game to the wall for a double. Two pitches later, he was back in the dugout, as Ryan Sweeney’s RBI single brought Aviles home. David Ortiz added an RBI single in the inning, and Cody Ross’ bases-loaded groundout scored another run. Beckett had his own struggles early, needing 37 pitches to get through the first inning but allowing only one run. After Jamey Carroll reached on a fielder’s choice, Beckett walked Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau to give the Twins their first run. Beckett traded harsh words with plate umpire Adrian Johnson as he left the field after retiring Ryan Doumit and Danny Valencia to leave the bases loaded. Boston added two more in the third, when Blackburn walked Gonzalez, then gave up a 429-foot homer to right by David Ortiz. Blackburn, who had missed his previous start due to right shoulder tightness, was lifted at the end of the third after giving up eight hits and five runs. Matt Maloney came on in relief for the Twins and fared no better, as the Red Sox tacked on two in the fourth, including a solo homer by Aviles, and three more in the fifth to lead 10-1. Minnesota got one back in the fifth. Denard Span doubled but was retired at third on a fielder’s choice, with Carroll reaching second. Willingham’s double down the left field line scored Carroll. NOTES: The first-inning single and third-inning homer by Ortiz gave him 28 hits for the season, which is the most through 16 games in Red Sox history for a left-handed hitter. … The Twins will call up Ben Revere from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, when left fielder Josh Willingham will take a paternity leave from the team. Willingham’s wife, Ginger, is expecting the couple’s third child. … After starting above .500 after 15 games in 13 consecutive seasons (1997-2009), the Red Sox were sub-.500 after 15 games for the third season in a row.

What the New York Yankees did to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, April 21 was not unique, as twice before they had rallied from nine run deficits to beat their arch-nemesis. While this comeback was especially satisfying to New York fans like me — seeing how Boston handled the Yanks last season — it was unlike the last time they pulled off such a caper.

I know, because I somewhat recall that game.

In that contest, back in 1987, New York did its damage to Boston’s best starter, unlike how it decimated the Red Sox bullpen in this latest improbable venture. At the time, nothing could have made me happier, since that starter was the reigning Cy Young Award winner, Roger Clemens.

On June 26, 1987, New York hurler Tommy John failed to get out of the second inning, as Boston scored eight times off him. Sluggers Dwight Evans and Jim Rice hit homers. I always disliked Rice, being a Yankee rooter, as he routinely hit home runs against New York, much like Manny Ramirez eventually would do as well. Boston garnered what seemed like a comfortable nine-run cushion after two frames, but I kept on listening to that radio broadcast. The Yankees rewarded me by immediately taking the lead by the end of the third.

Clemens quickly became the victim of a maelstrom of Bronx Bomber base hits. He allowed a three-run homer to Dave Winfield to make the score 9-3. I do remember that home run, but the rest of the scoring is a bit blurry; I would be lying if I told you I knew the exact details from a game 25 years ago. Research tells me that the Yanks chased him with a pair of walks and three more hits. Steve Crawford and then Tom Bolton came in as relievers, but they were no more effective than Clemens was.

By the time the third inning was over, New York had scored 11 times and held a two-run advantage. Rich Bordi, one of many Yankee bullpen flops I recollect from the 1980s, came on in relief of John. Rich quickly permitted Boston to knot things up in the fourth, and the score remained at 11-11 until Wayne Tolleson singled in Mike Pagliarulo with the game winner in the 10th.

The initial time New York came back to beat Boston from nine runs in the hole occurred on April 18, 1950, long before I was born. This was opening day for both clubs as teams played but 154 games in that era. I would have loved to be around for this to occur on Opening Day at Fenway Park of all days. Boston forged its nine-run lead against ace Allie Reynolds with help from sluggers such as Ted Williams, Vern Stephens and Bobby Doerr. Reynolds lasted just three innings and after four innings it was 9-0. New York scored four in the sixth inning against the Boston lefty Mel Parnell, again the club’s top moundsman. I remember Parnell as the voice of the rival Red Sox during the 1960s. After seven full, it was 10-4 Sox.

In the wild top of the eighth, New York sent a plethora of batters to the plate, scoring nine runs on the strength of eight base hits, three walks and a wild pitch. Yogi Berra, one of my father’s favorite players, had two singles in the frame, while Billy Martin hit a double and later a single. Joe DiMaggio and Tommy Henrich contributed big hits and when New York scored twice more in the ninth, it had fashioned a 15-10 victory that let Boston know who would be boss for the rest of the season.

My fervent hope is that this latest Yankee comeback has the same effect, vaulting New York into prominence and sending the BoSox reeling for the remainder of 2012.

I have been a New York Yankee fan since the middle of the 1960s.

Sources:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA198706260.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS195004180.shtml

MINNEAPOLIS ? 

Cody Ross homered twice last night, tying the game with a two-run shot in the seventh inning and giving Boston the lead with two outs in the ninth. The Red Sox hung on to beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-5, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Starter-turned-temporary-reliever Daniel Bard (1-2) recorded two critical outs in the eighth after the Twins put the leadoff runner on third. Alfredo Aceves picked up the save, his third in five tries, and all was right with the reeling Red Sox for at least one night.

Aceves gave up a one-out single and a high drive to the warning track in left-center to Trevor Plouffe, but Denard Span bounced back to the mound to end it.

Ryan Sweeney misplayed Jamey Carroll’s single into a two-base error that put him at third with none out in that pivotal eighth, after the ball bounded down the right-field line, ricocheted off the padded facade of the seats in foul territory and skidded away.

But Franklin Morales got Joe Mauer to ground out weakly to first base, and Bard retired two of the three batters he faced sandwiched around an intentional walk to Justin Morneau. Josh Willingham greeted Bard with a sharp line drive, but it zipped straight at third baseman Kevin Youkilis for the second out.

Then Ross put the Red Sox in front with his drive off Matt Capps (0-1).

After a rainout on Sunday gave the rotation an extra day of rest, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine put Bard in his struggling bullpen for a few days amid fan calls for the young right-hander to take over for Aceves as the closer. But Bard and Valentine insisted the move was merely temporary, and Bard is still on track to make his next start on Friday.

“I still view myself as a starter, and they said they do, too,” Bard said before the game. He said he “asked a lot of questions” about what the team’s goals were with the decision.

Bard gave the relievers some relief, but the starters still need some, too. Jon Lester allowed six hits, five runs and four walks over seven innings. He struck out four but wasted a 3-0 lead.

Danny Valencia’s two-run homer, his first of the season, followed Ryan Doumit’s two-run double in a four-run fourth for the Twins. Then Plouffe drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, Span singled and a run scored when Carroll grounded into a double play.

Carroll got the Red Sox back for that in the sixth. With one out and runners at the corners, he dived to stop a grounder by David Ortiz up the middle and flipped to the second baseman Plouffe from his stomach with one hand. Then Plouffe whirled around for a perfect relay throw to finish the double play.

The Twins have more modest expectations than do the Red Sox for this season after last year’s 63-99 mess. Their starting pitching has emerged as a significant concern if it wasn’t already this spring.

The rotation has a collective 2-9 record with a 6.46 ERA, last in the major leagues, with 114 hits allowed in 92 innings with only 53 strikeouts.

Gonzalez followed a pair of singles with a sacrifice fly in the first, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia smacked a 0-2 slider into the front part of the section of right-field seats that juts out and hangs above the warning track to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead in the second.

Then after the Twins surged ahead in the fourth, pulled away in the fifth and preserved the two-run edge thanks to Carroll’s slick play at shortstop, Marquis gave the game back to the Red Sox on that two-run drive by Ross that soared high above left field and into the seats.

Notes

Red Sox RH Daisuke Matsuzaka’s rehab start for Class A Salem, his first real game since undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery last June, was rough. He gave up six hits, three runs and two homers in four innings. … CF Marlon Byrd, who went 3 for 43 with the Cubs before being traded Saturday, had a single in his Red Sox debut. … Red Sox IF Nick Punto, who spent seven seasons with the Twins through 2010, checked out the visitor’s clubhouse at Target Field for the first time. But he was more impressed by what he saw on the other side.

“It’s cool to see both Mauer and Morneau healthy,” Punto said.

Daniel Bard went back to the bullpen to help out, and Cody Ross made him a winner.

For at least one night, all was right with the reeling Red Sox.

Ross homered twice, tying the game with a two-run shot in the seventh inning and giving Boston the lead with two outs in the ninth to snap a five-game losing streak for the Red Sox and beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-5, on Monday.

“It’s been a tough go,” Ross said. “Everybody knows how tough it’s been on us, but nobody feels sorry for us. We’re going to keep having to go out there and grind it out.”

Starter-turned-temporary-reliever Bard (1-2) recorded two critical outs in the eighth after the Twins put the leadoff runner on third. Alfredo Aceves picked up the save, his third in five tries.

Aceves gave up a one-out single and a high drive to the warning track in left-center to Trevor Plouffe, but Denard Span bounced back to the mound to end it.

“It gives them some confidence,” Ross said. “We have some guys that are really good out there, and we believe in them as a team.”

Ryan Sweeney misplayed Jamey Carroll’s single into a two-base error that put him at third with none out in that pivotal eighth, after the ball bounded down the right-field line, ricocheted off the padded facade of the seats in foul territory and skidded away.

But Franklin Morales got Joe Mauer to ground out weakly to first base, and Bard retired two of the three batters he faced sandwiched around an intentional walk to Justin Morneau. Josh Willingham greeted Bard with a sharp line drive, but it zipped straight at third baseman Kevin Youkilis for the second out.

“He allowed everybody to be happy campers,” manager Bobby Valentine said.

Bard shrugged off his bullpen appearance.

“Same deal. You’re just trying to get out. You just have a little less time to warm up. That’s it,” he said.

Then Ross put the Red Sox in front with his drive off Matt Capps (0-1), who threw a 92-mph, 0-1 fastball at the kneecaps, a tough one for anyone to hit, let alone far enough to reach seats to the opposite field.

“That’s tough to do. He did it. He hit it,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Said Capps: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cody Ross hit a ball that way. He put it a good swing on it and obviously squared it up well.”

After a rainout on Sunday gave the rotation an extra day of rest, Valentine put Bard in his struggling bullpen for a few days amid calls for the young right-hander to take over for Aceves as the closer. But Bard and Valentine insisted the move was merely temporary, and Bard is still on track to make his next start on Friday.

“I still view myself as a starter, and they said they do, too,” Bard said before the game.

Jon Lester allowed six hits, five runs and four walks over seven innings. He struck out four but wasted a 3-0 lead, after Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s two-run homer in the second.

Danny Valencia’s two-run homer, his first of the season, followed Ryan Doumit’s two-run double in a four-run fourth for the Twins. Then Plouffe drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, Span singled and a run scored when Carroll grounded into a double play.

Still, Valentine fervently praised the way Lester bounced back with strong a sixth and seventh.

“Nothing changed physically or mentally, but something got me locked in,” Lester said.

Around the bases

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka’s rehab start for Class A Salem (Va.), his first real game since undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery last June, was rough. He gave up six hits, three runs and two homers in four innings. … CF Marlon Byrd, 3 for 43 with the Cubs before being traded Saturday, had a single in his Red Sox debut. … Twins starters are 2-9 with a 6.46 ERA, last in the majors.

MINNEAPOLIS — Cody Ross hit two home runs as the Boston Red Sox rallied for a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night, snapping a five-game losing streak. Ross, who signed with Boston as a free agent in the offseason, cranked a two-run homer to tie the game 5-5 in the seventh, then added a solo shot in the ninth off Matt Capps (0-1). It was the eighth career multi-homer game for Ross. Daniel Bard (1-2) got the win for Boston, pitching out of a jam in the eighth. Alfredo Aceves pitched the ninth inning for his third save of the year, surrendering only a one-out single to Chris Parmelee. The Twins have lost three in a row. Trailing by two in the seventh, the Red Sox pulled even when Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled, then Ross lifted a long home run into the second deck in left field. Jon Lester started and went seven innings for Boston, but he is still looking for his first win of the season. He gave up five runs on six hits and four walks, striking out four. The Twins looked to be on the brink of taking the lead in the eighth when Jamey Carroll led off with a single into the right field corner. Ryan Sweeney misplayed the ball for a two-base error, and Carroll ended up on third with no outs. But Franklin Morales got Joe Mauer to bounce out, then gave way to Bard. Josh Willingham lined out, and Bard intentionally walked Justin Morneau before getting Ryan Doumit to pop out to shortstop, ending the threat. Jason Marquis started for Minnesota and gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings. The Red Sox got on the board early, as leadoff hitter Mike Aviles singled, advanced to third on a single by Dustin Pedroia and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez. After David Ortiz singled and Kevin Youkilis reached on a fielder’s choice in the second, Jarrod Saltalamacchia plopped his second homer of the season into the front row of the right field seats, giving Boston a 3-0 lead. Lester cruised through the first three innings, but he hit a snag with one out in the fourth. Mauer’s single was followed by a Willingham walk. After Lester struck out Morneau, Doumit doubled to score Mauer and Willingham. Three pitches later, Danny Valencia blasted his first homer of the season into the Red Sox bullpen in deep left-center field, giving Minnesota a 4-3 lead. An inning later, Carroll bounced into the Twins’ big-league-leading 19th double play of the season, but it brought in a run. Trevor Plouffe scored from third base, putting the Twins up 5-3. NOTES: Center fielder Marlon Byrd made his Red Sox debut after coming to Boston in a trade with the Cubs on Saturday night. … Twins catcher Mauer threw out Pedroia on an attempted steal of second base in the first inning. Previously, runners had been 10-for-10 when attempting to run on Mauer this season. … Red Sox utility infielder Nick Punto made his return to Target Field but did not play. Punto spent seven seasons with the Twins.

BOSTON—A cold, steady rain that postponed Sunday night’s game was the only respite Bobby Valentine and the Boston Red Sox could find from their current dismal predicament. An awful week that began with a controversy and included five consecutive losses was capped Saturday with the team’s worst defeat in recent history, at the hands of the Yankees, no less.

Valentine said the Red Sox had hit bottom after that game. Their first chance to regroup is Monday in Minneapolis, where they open a three-game series with the Twins. The calm Midwest could be a relatively safe haven, at least from the booing and abuse Valentine heard at Fenway Park from some fans who blame him for everything that has gone wrong with their 4-10 team since September – when Valentine was in the broadcast business.

After Saturday’s loss, in which the Sox blew a 9-0 lead, general manager Ben Cherington accepted responsibility for the Red Sox’s struggles, saying Valentine was doing the best he could with the roster that he (and Theo Epstein before him) handed Valentine. Cherington also said he was very satisfied with Valentine’s job performance.

But Valentine is not.

“I’m not satisfied with the job I did,” he said. “I don’t need to hear it from Ben or ownership or fans or anyone else. I’ve got to do better. In every way.”

Valentine has faced many challenges in his managing career, which began in 1985, and he has usually met them. The current one offers serious obstacles. In the past, Valentine took over teams that had been mired under .500 for years and he resurrected them.

The Red Sox are a team with many deficiencies, not the least of which is the pitching staff, which has baseball’s worst earned run average at 6.68. Still, there is a perception that Boston has a championship-caliber team, even if it has lost 30 of its last 41 games, dating to September’s collapse.

Valentine is now the face of this team; so far, it is not a pretty team.

A week ago, he commented that Kevin Youkilis was not into the games physically or emotionally as he had been in the past. That led to criticism of Valentine within and outside the team, and Valentine apologized, privately and publicly, to Youkilis. Since then, the Red Sox have lost all five of their games, including a dispiriting 6-2 loss to the Yankees on Friday, the 100th anniversary of the opening of Fenway Park, and then Saturday’s debacle in which the Yankees scored 15 straight runs.

“It’s been a tough week,” Valentine said. “Whew. If I had to rate them all, this is one of the tougher ones for sure, if not the toughest.”

Valentine has always been a lightning rod, but Friday, and particularly Saturday, he put himself into the fans’ crosshairs with every pitching change he made. Each time he made the trip from the dugout to the mound to remove one ineffective relief pitcher after another (five changes in all), Valentine heard the boos.

From his years with the Rangers to the Mets to Japan, Valentine was not the one to go to the mound to change pitchers. He routinely left that task to the pitching coach. Most managers go out to the mound to make the change, but Valentine, who said he could not remember the last time he went to the mound to make the change, thinks it is not the manager’s place to do that.

But Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure told Valentine he was uncomfortable making the changes, so Valentine has made the numerous 100-foot excursions this season, exposing himself each time to the fans’ wrath.

“We decided it’s the best way to do it here,” Valentine said. “It’s OK, I understand. I can take it.”

But after Saturday’s loss, in which the bullpen gave up 13 earned runs for the first time since 1994, the owner apparently could not. John Henry, the owner; Larry Lucchino, the team’s president; Cherington; and the assistant general manager Brian O’Halloran met with Valentine in the manager’s office.

He often had similar meetings with the Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon, who would come into his office regularly after bad losses to commiserate, scold, listen and offer suggestions.

“I hope that’s not the last time that Ben and Brian and Larry and John and I can sit in a room and say where we are and where we’re going to go,” he said, “and make a plan to get there.”

Meanwhile, Valentine is left to accept the blame, which he willingly did.

“Hitters go in slumps, pitchers go in slumps,” Valentine said. “Managers go in slumps.”

Knowing the feisty, combative manager that Valentine is, he probably has a way of getting out of it.

“I like swinging my way out,” he said.

The Boston Red Sox got a day off to forget a major meltdown.

The Red Sox hope to end their five-game slide as they begin a seven-game trip Monday night with the first of three against the Minnesota Twins.

Boston (4-10) blew a nine-run lead in Saturday’s 15-9 loss to the Yankees, with 14 runs charged to manager Bobby Valentine’s beleaguered bullpen. Red Sox relievers have an 8.44 ERA for the worst mark in baseball.

Daniel Bard, scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale that was postponed by rain, will have his turn in the rotation skipped and is being temporarily sent to the bullpen.

“Got to consider everything,” Valentine said. “They’re my guys.”

Jon Lester (0-2, 5.82 ERA) will start Monday’s opener but didn’t make things easy on the bullpen his last time out. He was charged with seven runs over two-plus innings in Tuesday’s 18-3 loss to Texas.

The left-hander is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in six career starts against Minnesota (5-11), posting a 5.84 ERA and issuing eight walks over 12 1-3 innings in dropping both outings at Target Field.

Valentine said his last-place club hit bottom after Saturday’s defeat. A day later, he expressed more confidence.

“When you’re 4-10, it’s not easy to say that everything is going perfectly,” he said. “But I think they’re good players, high quality, and we’re going to win a lot of games.”

The manager has a new player available with Marlon Byrd, acquired from the Cubs on Saturday, set to join the team. Byrd went 3 for 43 this year for Chicago, but the Red Sox outfield is hampered by injuries to Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury.

“He isn’t hitting right now; that’s the good news,” Valentine said, “which means he’s saved up all his hits for us, which is a good thing for him to do.”

The Twins are 3-4 during a 10-game stretch against the AL East, dropping two of three in Tampa Bay over the weekend. They were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position in Sunday’s 6-2 defeat and finished the series 4 for 27.

“We had one big hit, obviously not enough big hits,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Just a rough day for us.”

Justin Morneau went 1 for 7 against the Rays after a big series against the Yankees in which he was 5 for 11 with three homers.

Jason Marquis (1-0, 7.20) makes his first home start after a winning season debut Wednesday as he gave up four runs over five innings in a 6-5 victory over the Yankees.

The right-hander started his season late because his oldest child, Reese, was seriously hurt in a bicycle accident during spring training. She was released from the hospital on opening day and watched her father pitch last week after doctors wondered whether she would survive due to injuries that included a lacerated kidney.

“Lots of players have hardships in their careers,” Marquis said. “The challenge is to step onto the field and learn to try to separate it – go out there and play a kid’s game.”

The right-hander hasn’t faced the Red Sox since 2002. Adrian Gonzalez, who hit .379 against the Twins a year ago, is 6 for 19 with three doubles against him.

Boston went 5-2 last season against Minnesota.

The Boston Red Sox are reeling. Two-thirds of the starting outfielders are on the disabled list. The club’s two best starters have each turned in a horrendous game already, barely two times through the rotation. There has already been a confrontation between the new manager and a couple of veteran players.

But the most glaring problem with the Red Sox, just 4-7 and mired in last place in the American League East Division following an 18-3 drubbing by the Texas Rangers on April 17, is their wreck of a bullpen.

The ineptitude of the Boston relief corps is epitomized by Mark Melancon, the right-handed reliever acquired in the offseason as a possible replacement for departing free agent closer Jonathan Papelbon. Melancon was coming off a 20-save season for the Houston Astros and, after the Red Sox traded for Oakland A’s closer Andrew Bailey, was projected to be the eighth-inning set up man.

Melancon took the loss for Boston on Opening Day. Then he blew a save by allowing an 11^th-inning walk off home in the third game of the season. He allowed a home run again in the opener of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Three appearances, three bad outings. But they were just a preview of his historic meltdown against the Rangers.

In the eighth inning, he faced six batters. All of them scored. He allowed three home runs. He recorded no outs. His ERA for the year is fractionally less than 50.00.

After the game, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was open to the possibility that Melancon may have to go to the minors to get straightened out.

“At this time you have to consider everything,” Valentine said. “He’s very concerned. I’m very concerned, obviously. He’s not getting the swings and misses. It seems like he’s searching right now. And so are we. It’s tough when you don’t pitch on a regular basis. He threw a bullpen earlier today with (pitching coach) Bob McClure trying to work something out. I guess it wasn’t the right thing.”

Things are not significantly better in the Red Sox bullpen beyond Melancon. Bailey is likely out until the All Star break. Closer Alfredo Aceves has settled down, but blew his first two save opportunities of the season. Righty Michael Bowden was designated for assignment last week. Lefty Andrew Miller is rehabbing in Florida and pitching very poorly.

The answer to Boston’s bullpen issues may actually be in the rotation. Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard have been as effective as one would expect for fourth and fifth starters. Both have earned the chance to stay where they are. But circumstances may dictate otherwise. With starters Aaron Cook and Daisuke Matsuzaka due back from the injuries over the next month or so, the Red Sox might have no choice but to move both Doubront and Bard back to the bullpen to stabilize the relief corps.

It’s a mess, and it needs to get cleaned up before the Red Sox fall even further behind in the standings. Not that you can get much further behind than last place.

More from Yahoo! Contributor Network:

It’s Red Sox players vs. Bobby V already

Rick Blaine, an award-winning broadcaster and columnist, is a lifelong Red Sox fan. Follow him on Twitter @RickBlaineCT.

Boston, MA —

David Ortiz went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run
and three-run double as the Boston Red Sox pummeled the Tampa Bay Rays, 13-5,
in the second of a three-game set.

Cody Ross also hit a two-run home run and finished with four RBI, Jarrod
Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer while Mike Aviles and Dustin Pedroia added
solo shots for the Red Sox, who have taken the first two games of this set.
Clay Buchholz (1-0) gave up five runs on six hits with three walks and five
strikeouts over seven innings of work.

“I felt really good physically. I felt like in the beginning of the game my
changeup wasn’t there, everything was up,” Buchholz said. “I was trying to be
too quick to the plate out of the stretch and that caused the pitches to be up
in the zone, but after that third inning when I gave up a run everything
started to settle.”

Before the game, the Red Sox placed outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury on the 15-day
disabled list with a shoulder injury which could possibly sideline him
anywhere from six to eight weeks.

Luke Scott hit a three-run home run and drove in four for the Rays, who have
dropped three straight. Jeremy Hellickson went five innings in the start and
gave up five runs on seven hits. Burke Badenhop (0-1) took the loss for giving
up a run in 1 1/3 innings.

“Definitely location,” Hellickson said of the reason for his struggles. “I’ve
got to execute what I want to throw and just didn’t do that.”

Tampa struck early to take the lead. Desmond Jennings led off with a walk and
came home as Carlos Pena followed with a double. The next two batters then
recorded outs, but Ben Zobrist walked to keep the frame alive. Scott then
smacked a pitch over the wall in right for a 4-0 lead.

Boston got on the board in the second as Ryan Sweeney drew a two-out walk and
came home when Saltalamacchia followed with a homer to center to make it a 4-2
contest.

Tampa, though, got it back in the third as Matt Joyce walked and later scored
off a double from Scott.

Pedroia’s one-out, solo shot to left in the third made it a 5-3 contest and
Ortiz tied the game in the fifth when he drilled a 3-2 pitch over the wall in
center with Kevin Youkilis on first base.

The Red Sox took their first lead of the game in the seventh and they did it
right off the bat as Aviles led off the frame with a homer just over the Green
Monster. With J.P. Howell on the mound, Adrian Gonzalez doubled and Youkilis
followed with a walk. A single from Ortiz loaded the bases and Ross brought
home two for an 8-5 lead with a double off the Monster.

Boston turned the game into a rout in the eighth inning as a bases-clearing
double from Ortiz was followed by a home run from Ross for a 13-5 advantage.

Game Notes

Tampa took 12 of the 18 games against Boston last season…Boston had 15 hits
in the game…Buchholz is 5-2 over nine games against the Rays…Felix
Doubront is on the mound for Boston on Sunday while Matt Moore will toe the
rubber for Tampa.