BOSTON -- Tyler Duffey was trailing Boston by a run after throwing just one pitch. It didnt get much better from there for Minnesotas young right-hander or the pitchers that followed him.Mookie Betts hit a leadoff homer on the first pitch he faced from Duffey and the next three Boston batters singled as the Red Sox rode the early lead to a 13-2 rout of the Twins on Thursday night.When theyre in a groove like that, if you dont make them uncomfortable they can lean on some stuff, Duffey said. When guys are confident, its hard to get them out sometimes.Duffey (5-7) allowed four hits in the first, one in the second and then four more in the third. His night ended after Jackie Bradley Jr. doubled for Bostons ninth hit with one out in the third and the Red Sox up 6-0.They were just jumping on fastballs, breaking balls -- it didnt matter. They had a lot of good at bats, manager Paul Molitor said. It got ugly. Weve havent had a game like that in a while.Dustin Pedroia went 5 for 5 with two doubles for Boston, which had 17 hits while winning its third straight and improving to 12-3 in July. David Ortiz added a two-run homer in the eighth and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a solo homer and finished with three RBI.Steven Wright (12-5) tied his career high with nine strikeouts and held Minnesota to four hits in eight innings. The Twins didnt reach base against the knuckleballer until the fifth and finished with five hits.We just didnt have a lot of offense to muster off of him, Molitor said. He had the lead and you knew he was going to ride it out for a while.The Twins added a ground-rule double by pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar in the ninth off reliever Clay Buchholz.Max Kepler got Minnesotas first hit, singling with one out in the fifth to start a two-run rally that turned out to be the only offense for the Twins. He added a single in the seventh and was the only Minnesota batter with more than one hit.The Red Sox were up 11-2 in the eighth when Ortiz continued his farewell tour with his 24th homer, a shot deep into the seats in right field.DUFFEY DONE EARLYAfter winning his last three decisions, Duffey didnt last long in his first game pitching at Fenway Park.Coming in here, its going to be loud and stuff like that. Theyre all waiting on the edge of their seat for something awesome to happen, Duffey said. Early on, first pitch of the game -- home run. Thats never a good taste in your mouth.Duffey said it wasnt a bad pitch, but he left a little too much of it over the plate and Betts pounced on it. He also thought he pitched well overall, just not quite well enough against the surging Red Sox.I was ahead of a lot of guys. I just didnt put them away, he said.POTENT LINEUPThe Red Sox managed to outdo their 16-hit total from an 11-7 win against San Francisco on Wednesday night and finished with at least 15 hits for the 15th time this season.They put together some good at bats, Molitor said. If he (Duffey) got ahead, they fought their way back in the count.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: OF Bryon Buxton was not in the starting lineup for the Twins as manager Paul Molitor rested him against Wrights knuckleball. Buxton was 1 for 9 as Minnesota took two of three games against Detroit.Red Sox: Plans to get C/LF Blake Swihart (sprained left ankle) a minor-league rehab stint are on hold because of recurring soreness in his ankle. Swihart has been out since severely spraining the ankle on June 4. Manager John Farrell said Swihart started feeling the soreness as he increased the intensity of his workouts.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-6, 5.12 ERA) gets his 12th start of the season for the Twins. Gibson allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings last week against Cleveland.Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 7.18) goes for his second straight win. Rodriguez threw seven strong innings in a win over the Yankees on Saturday, allowing one run and four hits. Clearance NHL Jerseys . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. NHL Jerseys Sale . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Discount NHL Jerseys . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum said he isnt planning to alter how he plays the game after signing a five-year, $120 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets.And thats just fine with coach Steve Clifford.Clifford said Batum doesnt need to put additional pressure on himself to score just because hes now the highest-paid player in Hornets history. He told him to play how he plays.You dont change the nature of how you play. I think guys get messed up with that, Clifford said. ... I dont think you try to reinvent yourself because the money changed. We gave him the money because he played so well. In my opinion he was an All-Star-caliber player last season when healthy.Batum was acquired in a trade with Portland before last season and turned out to be a gem for Charlotte, which won 48 games and tied for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Batum averaged a career-high 14.9 points and 5.6 assists while becoming one of the teams top three go-to options.Batum said hes learned from experience that its not worth putting pressure on himself just because he signed a big contract.He did in that 2012 after inking a four-year, $46 million deal to remain with the Portland Trail Blazers. While he still played well, he said it was pointless.I was a young guy at the time and I didnt know what to expect, Batum said. Now I know. I know what I have to go through right now. I know what the views of the media and the public will be. I know that, and Im good with it.For Batum, pressure no longer enters the equation because the Hornets trust him and believe in him.Its more relief than pressure, Batum said.The Hornets made re-signing him their No. 1 priority, offering the Frenchman a huge deal about an hour into the free-agency signing periodd.dddddddddddd Batum also received several offers from other teams shortly after the deadline, which he called flattering.The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Batum enters the season as Charlottes best all-around player and a favorite among teammates.Guys are so much more comfortable when hes out there on the floor because he makes it so much easier at both ends, forward Marvin Williams said.Williams said theres a naturalness to Batums game, and hes incredibly unselfish -- hes always looking for the better shot option.He likes to make the assist, and he likes to get everyone involved, Williams said. I think that is why so many people like playing with him. Its why I love playing with him.And why Clifford views him as irreplaceable.When Batum went down in the second half of last season with an ankle injury, the Hornets struggled to find their rhythm.Hes not a numbers guy to me, Clifford said. People can say, `Well, hes making this or hes making that (much money), but if he plays at the level he played at last year when he was healthy, we have a chance to be a really good team.The Hornets continue to work on 5-on-5 scrimmages extensively during practice as Clifford gets a feel for his team.But there were several key players missing on Thursday.Point guard Kemba Walker (knee) and center Cody Zeller (knee) remained out of practice while rehabbing from injuries. Guard Jeremy Lamb did not practice after stepping on a basketball and twisting his ankle, while Brian Roberts was held out after injuring his hamstring when he slipped on some water on the court. Clifford said he hopes to have Lamb and Roberts back in a few days. ' ' '
