FinalTwins 6, Red Sox 0Starting pitcher performanceAfter a shaky first two performances this season, Mick Abel was fantastic in his previous start. He was somehow even better on Tuesday, throwing seven scoreless innings against the Red Sox and setting a new career high with 10 strikeouts.At one point early in the game, Abel struck out five straight batters as part of an effort in which he completely dominated the Boston lineup. The Red Sox had four scattered hits off Abel and he hit a batter, but at no point did they come close to mounting a true rally against him.

The starter pointed to his changeup and said it has been an “equalizer,” for him lately.Abel needed just 90 pitches to get through his seven innings of work and while he said he would have been “elated” to go out there for the eighth inning, he did more than enough to help a bullpen that is nearing the end of a 15-game stretch with no off days.Player of the GameIt’s a toss-up between Abel (see above) and Byron Buxton, both of whom starred on Tuesday.Buxton finished the night 4 for 5. A day after setting the record for most runs in Target Field history, he padded his lead with two more blasts.Buxton started his night by singling in the first inning, advancing on a Sonny Gray balk and racing in to score on Luke Keaschall’s single.

Though he was initially ruled out, Buxton seemed confident he was safe, motioning to the dugout, seemingly, to ask for a challenge. Upon review, he was safe.Buxton scored four of the team’s six runs in the game. He homered in his second at-bat, singled and scored in his third and hit his second long ball of the night in his fourth at-bat.Key momentThere’s any number of big moments to chose from, from Abel’s five straight strikeouts to Buxton’s race around the bases, which gave the Twins a first-inning lead that they would carry for the entirety of the game.But Trevor Larnach’s single off his former teammate, Gray, was part of a fourth inning in which the Twins truly broke open the game.

Larnach was thrown out at second trying to stretch the single into a double, but both Tristan Gray and Buxton scored on the hit to give the Twins a five-run advantage. It came after Brooks Lee had homered earlier in the inning, his third of the year.Quotable“I ain’t going to say it makes it easy to hit, but you’re like ‘All right, let’s go put up some runs and get him back out there,'” Buxton said of Abel. “You know he’s locked in, he’s in a groove, and it’s exciting.

We saw little glimpses of it last year. He went in the offseason and did some work. Coming back, he’s been phenomenal.”Up nextSimeon Woods Richardson (0-2, 4.60 ERA) will take the ball for the final game of the three-game series against the Red Sox.

Woods Richardson will be opposed by left-handed pitcher Connelly Early (0-0, 2.63). The game is set for 12:40 p.m. CDT.Related Articles What’s the secret to the Twins’ hot start? Ryan Jeffers leads Twins rout of Red Sox Twins rough up Red Sox early to claim series opener How last year’s fire sale (somehow) pushed the Twins forward Twins rout Toronto for their AL-leading ninth victory