MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead. Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54-for-162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9-for-19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints have been all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2/3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.

If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.

Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1/3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.

Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2-for-2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES: The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan. … Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. … The Twins are off today and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. … The Red Sox are off today as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead.
Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54 for 162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9 for 19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints have been all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.
If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.
The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.
Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1-3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.
Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2 for 2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES

The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan. … Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. … The Twins are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. … The Red Sox are off Thursday as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead. Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54 for 162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9 for 19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints have been all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.
If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.
The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.
Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1-3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.
Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2 for 2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES

The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan. … Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. … The Twins are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. … The Red Sox are off Thursday as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-2, on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead. Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54 for 162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9 for 19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints have been all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.

If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.

Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1/3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.

Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2 for 2 with two walks for the Twins.

Notes
The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan. … Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. … The Twins are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. … The Red Sox are off Thursday as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Baseball Writer

MINNEAPOLIS – Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Thome also had a run-scoring single and the Twins got an outstanding effort from Nick Blackburn to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid a sweep.

Thome hit the 119th pitch from Jon Lester (11-6) over Carl Crawford’s head in left field for a 3-2 lead. Blackburn gave up an unearned run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his ninth save.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a homer and Lester gave up four runs and eight hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Red Sox. The left-hander also issued five walks, tying a season high.

Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single off Alfredo Aceves to give Nathan a little breathing room heading into the ninth.

The Red Sox were losing 2-1 when Ortiz stepped into the box in the eighth against lefty Glen Perkins, who has been dominant this season but has struggled a bit in the last week.

It was power against power, and Perkins gave him straight gas the entire showdown. He hit 96 mph on six pitches before cranking up and reaching 98 on his final offering to Ortiz, who sent the pitch 419 feet into the bullpen behind center field. It was the first homer Perkins allowed this season in 178 plate appearances.

Success against his former team is nothing new for Ortiz, who was allowed to leave the organization after the 2002 season. He is hitting .333 (54 for 162) with 12 homers against the Twins, and is 9 for 19 (.474) at Target Field. His fingerprints were all over this series, with go-ahead singles late in the first two games.

Thome never would have been in a position to put the Twins ahead in the eighth if not for Blackburn’s sharp effort.

Few could say they saw this outing coming from him. In his previous eight starts, he was 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings. He had allowed 16 earned runs in his last three starts.

If Scott Baker wasn’t placed on the disabled list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Blackburn may very well have been pitching for his job Wednesday night.

All he did was handcuff one of the deepest, most formidable lineups in the game for almost seven innings. With a biting sinker and a befuddling changeup, Blackburn held the highest-scoring offense in the majors scoreless through six as the Twins took a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox finally got on the board in the seventh, but only after Twins second baseman Trevor Plouffe muffed a grounder from Jacoby Ellsbury that would have ended the inning. Marco Scutaro followed with an RBI single to chase Blackburn, and Perkins got Adrian Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning.

Perkins (4-2) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1-3 innings for the win and Nathan’s save was No. 255 for his career, moving him past Rick Aguilera for the most in Twins history.

Mike Aviles had two hits for the Red Sox, and Delmon Young went 2 for 2 with two walks for the Twins.

NOTES: The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when manager Ron Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery … Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. “He was fighting me on it the last two days,” manager Terry Francona said. “Last night after the game, he’s like, ‘I’m tired.’ This will be really good for him.” Pedroia, however, came on to pinch hit in the eighth inning with the game still tied at 2 … Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Joe Mauer that was caught by a fan … Perkins has given up five runs – four earned – in his last three appearances. He had an 11-appearance scoreless streak before that … The Red Sox are off Thursday and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Darnell McDonald hit a two-run homer into the upper deck in left field to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Tuesday night.

David Ortiz gave the Sox the lead for good on an infield single with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 26th save.

Erik Bedard gave up two runs on three hits with six strikeouts in five innings in his second start since coming to Boston in a trade with Seattle.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka had a double and an RBI for the Twins, who lost their sixth straight game. Francisco Liriano walked a career-high seven and allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in six innings.

Matt Albers (4-3) gave up one run in one inning of relief for the win, helping the Red Sox move to 2 1/2 games up on the Yankees in the AL East after New York lost at home to the Angels.

Matt Capps (3-6) took the loss for the Twins after giving up one run on one hit and walking two in one inning. Minnesota’s pitchers walked nine and its hitters whiffed 10 times in the game.

In an odd twist of events, the game featured two unexpected power surges from a pair of light hitters, and a nubber from the biggest man in the ballpark that proved to be the biggest hits in the game.

McDonald, who entered the game hitting .165 with three homers on the season, got a hanging slider from Liriano that he put into the upper deck in left field to tie the game 2-2 in the fifth inning.

Nishioka was hitting just .215 with just four extra-base hits and 14 RBIs this season when the day started. He struck out in his first two at-bats before sending a pitch from Matt Albers high off the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center field for an RBI double that tied the game 3-3 in the sixth.

The Red Sox reclaimed the lead in the seventh when they loaded the bases for Ortiz. The big lefty hit a dribbler up the first baseline, but Twins lefty Phil Dumatrait fell flat on his face as he bent down to pick up the ball, and everyone was safe on a play that was ruled an infield single.

The free-swinging Twins had just one walk in their previous 182 plate appearances when they stepped to the plate in the first inning against Bedard. But they walked four times in their two-run first, including a bases loaded free pass to Delmon Young, who had walked 15 times in 314 plate appearances this season.

Bedard settled down after that 37-pitch first inning, keeping the Twins off the board with just two hits over his final four innings.

NOTES: Twins DH Jim Thome walked for the 1,708th time in his career in the first inning, tying him with Mel Ott for eighth on baseball’s career list. … Red Sox manager Terry Francona said reliever Bobby Jenks, who is on the disabled list with a back injury, was released from the hospital on Tuesday after spending a few days there because of an illness. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia walked three times. … The Twins placed RHP Scott Baker on the DL with a strained right elbow. … Twins CF Denard Span got a rare day off after starting the home stand 0-for-12. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Span was still getting his timing down after being out with a concussion. … LHP Jon Lester (11-5, 3.23) takes the mound for the Red Sox in the series finale on Wednesday night against RHP Nick Blackburn (7-9, 4.58). Lester’s 6.61 ERA in three career starts in Minnesota is his second-highest in a visiting AL city next to Kansas City (7.20). … Had Baker not been placed on the disabled list, Blackburn may have been pitching for his job. In his last eight starts, Blackburn is 3-5 with an 8.15 ERA and 65 hits allowed in 38 2-3 innings.

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