The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Porcello remains unbeaten at Fenway Park
BOSTON >> A year ago, Rick Porcello was hearing nearly as many boos as cheers in Fenway Park.
Now, he’s piling up wins in front of the home fans.
Porcello became the first Boston pitcher in 55 years to open a season 10-0 in Fenway, and Hanley Ramirez and Travis Shaw both hit a three-run homer as the Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 8-7 Sunday to earn a split of a four-game series.
“I just feel good here,” Porcello said. “I feel comfortable pitching in front of our crowd.”
Last year, the 27-year-old Porcello was expected to be an ace for the staff after the club acquired him from Detroit before the season, but he lost six of his first 11 starts at home and ended the year just 9-15 overall with a 4.92 ERA.
“Rick is in a very good place here in Fenway,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “You talk about dependable and reliable, he embodies that. He epitomizes that.”
Porcello (13-2) allowed five runs with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, becoming the first since Don Schwall in 1961 to win his first 10 Fenway decisions in a season.
Dustin Pedroia hit a tiebreaking solo homer and Xander Bogaerts had three singles for Boston, which won its 10th time in 13 games.
Juan Centeno had three hits and drove in three runs for the Twins, who completed a sevengame road trip 4-3 but gave up
four unearned runs in a key inning.
“You’ve got a chance to come in here and potentially beat a team that’s been playing good three out of four,” Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. “Unearned runs, they’re painful, they’re tough when you can’t find a way to get off the field.”
Brad Ziegler got the final three outs for his first save with Boston after being acquired from Arizona earlier this month.
The Red Sox surged ahead with five runs - four unearned - and chased Tommy Milone (3-3) in the fifth.
Pedroia homered over the Green Monster. Third baseman Miguel Sano had a grounder go through his legs for an error that scored a run before Shaw belted his homer into Boston’s bullpen, making it 8-3.
“The one to Shaw was just a curveball that hung over the middle of the plate,” Milone said. “He was waiting for it. They capitalized hard on the mistakes.”
Milone gave up eight runs - four earned - in 4 2/3 innings, snapping a personal three-game winning streak.
The Twins scored two runs in the seventh and eighth innings, slicing it to 8-7.
Ramirez’s homer - his fifth in five games - went into the first row of Monster seats, with a fan making a nice standing, two-handed grab, to make it 3-2.
The Twins tied it when Max Kepler tripled leading off the fourth before scoring on Kennys Vargas’ grounder.