BOSTON – Pedro Florimon had a solo homer and a two-run double in Minnesota’s season-high, seven-run second inning Wednesday night that carried the Twins to a 15-8 rout over the Boston Red Sox.
David Ortiz went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts and three groundouts to snap his 27-game hitting streak dating to last season. Ortiz had hit safely in his first 15 games this season, giving him Boston’s longest streak since Manny Ramirez also hit in 27 straight in 2006.
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Ryan Doumit had a two-run homer, Oswald Arcia went 4 for 5 with three singles and a double, and Trevor Plouffe drove in three of the Twins’ season-high runs. Minnesota also had a season-high 19 hits.
Jonny Gomes hit his fourth career grand slam and first with the Red Sox, and drove in five runs. Shane Victorino had a solo homer for Boston, which lost for the fifth time in six games.
In the first two innings, the teams combined for 17 runs and 10 extra-base hits, chasing both starting pitchers as the Twins held an 11-6 edge after posting their big second.
Ryan Pressly (1-0) had four shutout relief innings.
Allen Webster (0-1), making his second career start, gave up eight runs, six hits and walked three while getting only five outs for Boston.
Twins starter Pedro Hernandez fared a little better, allowing six runs and seven hits in two innings of his fifth career start.
Trailing 5-4 in the second, Minnesota sent 11 batters to the plate. Florimon tied it with a leadoff homer into the Green Monster seats. Justin Morneau’s sacrifice fly pushed the Twins ahead before Plouffe’s RBI double chased Webster. Aaron Hicks then had a two-run single off Felix Doubront and Florimon followed with his two-run double, making it 11-5.
Victorino’s homer into the left-field seats cut it to 11-6 in the bottom of the second.
Minnesota added a run in the fourth on Florimon’s double-play grounder. Plouffe delivered a run-scoring single and Arcia collected his fourth hit of the game in the fifth — an RBI double — to make it 14-6.
The Twins grabbed a 4-0 lead in the first. After Webster struck out the first batter, he walked the next two before Morneau’s RBI double. Plouffe followed with a sacrifice fly before Doumit homered into Boston’s bullpen.
Boston responded by taking the lead with five runs after two outs in the bottom of the inning. Gomes belted his slam completely out of Fenway Park over the Monster after the Red Sox loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a walk. Stephen Drew’s RBI single made it 5-4.
NOTES: Ortiz’s season-opening streak is the best by a Red Sox player since Tony Pena also hit in his first 15 in 1990. The Red Sox honored Orlando Cepeda (Boston) and Ron Blomberg (Yankees) during a pregame, on-field ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the DH. Ortiz handed them commemorative framed pictures. Red Sox Manager John Farrell said third baseman Will Middlebrooks had an MRI on his right side after bruising his ribs making a sliding grab of a foul pop before colliding with catcher David Ross in Tuesday’s loss. “He’s banged up a little bit,” Farrell said, then added the team was awaiting the results. Neither Middlebrooks nor Ross were in the lineup.
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