MINNEAPOLIS _ The strides that Max Kepler made at the plate earlier in the season had stopped. The young outfielder entered Wednesday in a 4-for-32 slump and looking for a way out.
His slumpbuster arrived in the fourth inning, in the form of breaking ball from Red Sox left-hander David Price that did not break much, Kepler launched the pitch into the seats in right for a two-run homer that gave the Twins a two-run lead over Boston in the fourth inning. Throw in an RBI double by Brian Dozier in the eighth inning and solid work by the bullpen, the Twins won 4-1.
In two games against the one of the AL's best teams, Twins starters held the Red Sox to three runs in two days. That's been enough for individual heroics to lead the Twins, as Eduardo Escobar's two run-scoring doubles on Tuesday were the key blows before Kepler's homer Wednesday.
Escobar and Eddie Rosario have kept the Twins offense afloat in recent weeks, so the invitation for teammates to join in has been out there for a while. Kepler responded in the second game of the series with his first home run since May 25 at Seattle and first in 89 plate appearances. Kepler looked like a different hitter on Wednesday, lining into outs in the plate appearances before and after his home run.
Lance Lynn was in position to get the win despite walking five batters in five innings.
Lynn had started to get his legs back under him, going 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA over his previous five starts. The Twins were hunting for more wins when they entered the free agent market late in the offseason, signing Lynn for $12 million. And he is starting to make the investment look like a solid one.
"A good run here the last handful of games," manager Paul Molitor said before the game. "Obviously, the walks have gone down and the strike throwing, command in the zone has gotten better. It will be interesting tonight because these guys have a lot of guys who really like fastballs. And that's his primary strength."
Unfortunately for the Twins, Laborious Lance Lynn returned on Wednesday. The veteran right-hander endured six three-ball counts over the first four innings and entered fifth having thrown 67 pitches.
Somehow, Lynn had given up just one run, when Mitch Moreland scored on a fielder's choice in the second inning. Logan Morrison made a nice play to his right to grab Jackie Bradley Jr.'s grounder, but his flip to Lynn, covering first base, was too high and popped out of his glove.
And that was all the damage Boston did against the struggling Lynn, who had three-ball counts a whopping eight times but miraculously escaped.
Even when Lynn wasn't wiggling out of trouble, Molitor never saw a lack of confidence.
"I don't think he's a guy who needs a lot of rallying," Molitor said. "His makeup is pretty strong."
Taylor Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, getting two strikeouts and a fly out. Addison Reed stranded a runner while pitching a scoreless seventh, and Trevor Hildenberger pitched a perfect eighth.
Price went six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Robbie Grossman greeted him with a home run in the first inning, the first leadoff blast of his career. So Price gave up two home runs, only the second time all season he has given up more than one.
