Red Sox reactions: Boston’s 4-0 lead vanishes as Justin Slaten (2 late HRs) crumbles vs. Twins

· Yahoo Sports

BOSTON — Instant reactions as the Red Sox (22-28) can’t capitalize on an early 4-0 lead and suffer a rare loss in which the bullpen is to blame in an 8-6 defeat at the hands of the Twins on Friday night:

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1) After Chad Tracy pulled Payton Tolle — who had retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced — at just 85 pitches, reliever Justin Slaten came into the game with a three-run lead (6-3) and imploded.

With one out and Luke Keaschall on base after a leadoff single, star Byron Buxton got a high cutter and demolished it over the Green Monster for a two-run homer that made it 6-4. Two batters later, it was Austin Martin’s turn as he stayed on a sweeper and laced it into the Monster seats to put Minnesota up, 7-6.

Slaten missed a month with an oblique issue but had otherwise been nearly perfect, allowing one unearned run on four hits in his first eight innings of 2026. But everything unraveled Friday as he snapped a career-long streak of 15 consecutive scoreless appearances.

Things got even worse in the ninth as usually steady lefty Tyler Samaniego allowed three straight batters to reach (error, single, hit-by-pitch) and newcomer Tyron Guerrero walked in a run with the bases loaded to make it 8-6.

2) The Red Sox have lost plenty of games so far this season, but very few in the fashion they did Friday (with a big early lead and the bullpen to blame).

Boston has had the lead after six innings in 18 games this season. Friday’s loss was its second in that category (16-2), which speaks to how good the bullpen has been. Leads of 4-0 and 6-3 have been safe all season.

For the third time this year, the Red Sox missed a chance to extend a three-game winning streak to a season-long four. They had previously won three games in a row twice (April 25-27 and May 4-6) but have been unable to get over the four-in-a-row hump.

3)Tolle posted a strong outing in an unusual way. He mixed five excellent, efficient innings with a completely disastrous frame in the second to post a quality start in which he struck out nine batters while allowing three runs (on four hits) in six innings.

In the first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, Tolle retired 14 of 15 batters he faced, struck out seven batters and needed just 52 pitches (10.4 per inning). In the second, the Twins ambushed him for all four hits they had against him and all three runs (with one scoring on an error by Tolle himself). The lefty threw 33 of his 85 pitches in that one inning alone.

After Tolle escaped the second by striking out Brooks Lee and getting Austin Martin to pop out with the bases loaded, he snapped out of the funk immediately with a quick third. He then retired the last 11 batters he faced.

4) A sketchy defensive play didn’t help out Slaten in the seventh. Before homering, Buxton lifted a pop-up into foul territory that both first baseman Willson Contreras and second baseman Marcelo Mayer pursued. It fell between them to allow the at-bat to continue. Buxton made the Red Sox pay.

Both teams had a pair of errors in the game. Nick Sogard’s fielding error in the ninth led to Minnesota’s insurance run.

5) A wild start to the game contained most of the action before Minnesota rallied against Slaten. Minutes after the Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead against lefty Connor Prielipp in the first with four straight hits, Minnesota punched back with five straight baserunners against Tolle in a three-run second inning.

6) Boston’s first inning was an exercise in swinging early and hitting the ball hard. After Jarren Duran worked a leadoff walk, Wilyer Abreu smoked an 0-2 slider off the center field wall at 102 mph for an RBI double. Two pitches later, Contreras cleared out a changeup and smacked the Green Monster with an RBI triple. Andruw Monasterio’s chopper found grass for an RBI single to make it 3-0, and after Nick Sogard reached on a bloop single, Marcelo Mayer made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly to center.

7) Small ball allowed the Red Sox to expand their lead in the fourth. After Sogard and Carlos Narváez singled, Caleb Durbin was well on his way to driving in a fifth Boston run when Prielipp threw wide of first for an error. Jarren Duran grounded out to first and Narváez scampered home to make it 6-3.

8) After the homers by Buxton and Martin, Boston’s offense had just one chance. After a 1-2-3 seventh, Boston put two men on (Mayer reached on an error and Narváez walked) but pinch-hitter Mickey Gasper, hitting right-handed against southpaw Anthony Banda, flew out gently to end the threat.

Trailing by two in the ninth, the Sox went down with a bit of a fight. The speedy Duran reached on a wild pitch after chasing strike three, then Rafaela flew out to the deepest part of the park against Banda. Abreu grounded into a double play to end the game.

In total, the Sox had seven hits. Abreu and Sogard led the way with two each.

9) Tolle is 4-for-6 in the quality start department since making his season debut on April 23. In 36 ⅔ innings, he has 39 strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA. He’s an early candidate for the biggest breakout star of the first two months.

10) Making his first major league appearance since September 2019, Guerrero did well to get out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation having allowed one run. He settled down after the walk to Trevor Larnach to record three important outs on 11 pitches.

11) Contreras’ first-inning triple was not only his second triple in as many games, but also the 1,000th hit of his major league career.

12) The Red Sox haven’t named a starter for Saturday’s game but it’ll be Brayan Bello’s day to pitch, either in a traditional start or following an opener. The Twins also have not named a starter.

First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET.

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