MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Chris Paddack pitched six scoreless innings to carry the Minnesota Twins to their 11th consecutive victory, a 5-2 decision over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
The Twins matched win streaks in 2003 and 2006 for their third-longest ever, trailing the club record of 15 straight during its last World Series championship season in 1991. It also won 12 in a row in 1980.
Minnesota (18-13) has the longest winning streak in the major leagues this year. There were only four last season of 10-plus games, topped by Tampa Bay's 13 straight.
Edouard Julien hit a two-out RBI single to give Paddack (3-1) a lead in the third, and the lanky, long-haired right-hander deftly took it from there. He allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one while throwing 83 pitches.
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck (3-3) completed six innings for the sixth time in seven turns this season, but he was pulled three batters into the seventh as the Twins broke the game open with a four-run inning.
Julien drew a bases-loaded walk on an automatic ball for a pitch clock violation called on Naoyuki Uwasawa, before Ryan Jeffers delivered a two-run double.
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The Red Sox were right away on the verge of one of those big innings when Jarren Duran reached on an error by shortstop Carlos Correa to start the game and Rafael Devers followed with a double. But Paddack struck out Tyler O'Neill, got Wilyer Abreu to pop out to Correa and retired Garrett Cooper on a soft grounder to second base.
Devers hit a two-run double off Caleb Thielbar in the eighth to cut the lead to three, but Thielbar bounced back to strike out O'Neill. Jhoan Duran worked a perfect ninth inning for his second save.
Boston (18-15) struck out 13 times.
The Twins happily returned home from six games on the road that gave them their first undefeated trip of six-plus games in franchise history, toting their lucky summer sausage and a lineup full of hot hitters.
Castro, who scored on Julien's single in the third, is 3 for 5 in his career against the right-handed Houck with a double and a home run.
The multi-position backup, who pushed his hitting streak to a career-best nine games, went 2 for 3 with two runs and a sacrifice bunt. He's slated for regular duty in center field with Byron Buxton landing on the injured list with knee inflammation.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox have scheduled a bullpen game for Saturday afternoon, with a hole in their injury-ravaged rotation. RHP Pablo Lopez (2-2, 4.83 ERA) will start the middle game of the series for the Twins.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
DAVE CAMPBELL
Campbell is a sports reporter for The Associated Press, based in Minneapolis. He has covered all of the major teams in Minnesota as well as stories of national interest for the AP since 2000.
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