Twins finally find offense in extra innings and beat Boston 4-2 in 12

A game of inches

The Minnesota Twins finally broke through in extra innings to beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 in 12 innings on Tuesday night at Target Field. The Twins had been held scoreless for the first 11 innings of the game, but they finally got to Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes in the 12th. Jorge Polanco led off the inning with a single, and he advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gio Urshela. Alex Kirilloff then singled to drive in Polanco, and Ryan Jeffers followed with a single to score Urshela. The Red Sox had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the 12th, but they were unable to get a runner past second base. The win was the Twins' fourth in a row, and it moved them into a tie for first place in the AL Central with the Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have now lost four of their last five games.

The turning point

The turning point of the game came in the top of the 12th inning when the Twins finally got to Barnes. Polanco's single was the key hit, as it put a runner in scoring position for Kirilloff and Jeffers. Barnes had been effective out of the Red Sox bullpen all season, but he was unable to get the job done in the 12th. He allowed two runs on three hits in his one inning of work.

The big picture

The Twins' win was a big one in the AL Central race. The White Sox had won earlier in the day, so the Twins needed a win to keep pace. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are now in danger of falling out of the AL East race. They are now 3.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. The Twins and Red Sox will face off again on Wednesday night at Target Field.