BOSTON – Minnesota Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire can put up with Samuel Deduno’s wildness as long as the starter keeps limiting opponents to just two hits.

The right-hander who spent five years in the minors before reaching the majors allowed two hits for his second straight strong outing, and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-0 on Thursday night.

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Jon Lester showed signs of improvement Thursday against the Twins, allowing three runs in eight innings, but got no offensive help as Boston managed just two hits. The Associated Press

Deduno (3-0) walked four and struck out one in six innings before two relievers combined for three perfect innings. In his previous start, he allowed one run on two hits and five walks in a 12-5 win over Cleveland.

“I know his ball-strike ratio wasn’t the greatest, but sometimes that works,” Gardenhire said. “He was able to make pitches when he had to and that’s all you really care about.”

Deduno had an outstanding curveball and slider. He also has a fastball that moves so much that his catchers sometimes wonder where it will end up. And it led to him throwing only 50 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

“He’s got a very live fastball,” said shortstop Brian Dozier, who played with Deduno at Triple-A Rochester this season. “It cuts. It sinks. It rides. I don’t know how he grips it, but he just kind of shoots for the middle of the plate.”

Deduno, making his sixth major league start, has given up just two earned runs and 10 hits in 191/3 innings

“My curveball and my slider are pretty good, but my fastball is still moving like crazy,” said Deduno, who reached the majors in 2010 and pitched six games in relief for Colorado and San Diego. “This is the most fun. This is the dream, to play in the big leagues and to stay not just for one month or two months.”

Adrian Gonzalez got both Boston hits, a single and double. Casey Fien retired the side in order in the seventh and Glen Perkins pitched two perfect innings for his sixth save in nine opportunities.

Deduno overshadowed one of the best performances of Jon Lester’s rough season. Boston’s lefty gave up three runs and seven hits in eight innings, with seven strikeouts and no walks.

“I don’t feel like I have thrown the ball that well all year,” he said.

Lester (5-9) had allowed 25 runs in his previous four starts but improved in his last one, allowing four runs in six innings. And he was much better on Thursday despite dropping to 0-4 in his last six starts and 2-7 at Fenway Park this season.

“Just another one of those hard-luck outings,” Manager Bobby Valentine said. “He pitched awfully well.”

NATIONAL LEAGUE

REDS 9, PADRES 4: Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer and Johnny Cueto overcame a pair of rare long balls to pitch into the eighth inning, leading Cincinnati past visiting San Diego for its 13th win in 14 games.

Scott Rolen had three hits, Frazier had three RBI and Jay Bruce drove in two runs.

Cueto (14-5), who gave up a home run for the first time in more than two months, allowed eight hits and four runs, with one walk and nine strikeouts in 71/3 innings.

METS 9, GIANTS 1: Ronny Cedeno drove in five runs to match his career high and Jason Bay had only his second multi-RBI game this year as New York won at San Francisco.

Chris Young (3-5) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings.

NATIONALS 3, PHILLIES 0: Ross Detwiler pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Adam LaRoche homered, and Washington won at home.

LaRoche had three hits and two RBI.

Detwiler (6-4) gave up three singles and retired his final 14 batters, finishing with three strikeouts and two walks.

BRAVES 6, MARLINS 1: Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman each hit a two-run double, and Atlanta scored six runs in the first two innings against visiting Miami.

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