Red Sox 8, Twins 5: Loud bats echo into the void as all remains quiet on the trade front

Pop Quiz!

The Minnesota Twins sent five pitchers to the mound tonight with the follow last names:

• Ohl
• Tonkin
• Funderburk
• Sands
• Varland

Can you give me the first name of any of them?

To be fair, this was largely a throw away game for Minnesota, who essentially penciled themselves in for a loss earlier this week when they traded away tonight’s originally scheduled starter Chris Paddack to Detroit. With their rotation in shambles, the Twins turned to a guy with the last name of Ohl (I’m still not giving the answer yet), who made his major league debut and gave up four runs in just three innings of work.

Ohl actually did have a decent bit of success the first time through the lineup as the Sox were unfamiliar with his offerings and didn’t score until the third inning, but once they got a second look, the floodgates opened.

Trevor Story even alluded to this in his post game interview when he was asked about facing Ohl.

“The further it went on, the more comfy I felt” Story said.

Comfy indeed:

Jarren Duran also went deep, although this one was off the Minnesota bullpen.

While watching the Sox offense pick the low hanging fruit, I also found myself checking in on other action from around the league on multiple screens (because I’m chronically addicted to this sport). While doing this, one overwhelming thought kept slapping me in the face:

THIS AMERICAN LEAGUE ABSOLUTELY STINKS!!!

It’s an ecosystem with no alpha. Seriously, who are you worried about among this group of flawed frauds? Toronto who hasn’t won a playoff game in almost a decade? The Astros who just got swept by the A’s and have so many injuries they could open a hospital wing? The Yankees who can’t catch the ball? The Tigers who still have only one great player? The pennant is sitting right there. Take it!

Just like tonight against the Twins, the 2025 Red Sox season as a whole is just as much about the opponents Boston is facing as it is about what they’re bringing to the table. Sure these Sox are flawed, and sure they play stupid baseball, and sure there’s a handful of teams in the NL that are better than them, but you know what? There’s a pretty clear path to the pennant still wide open if they grab some tools and get in gear.

So while the bats made noise in a game they should have tonight, the silence from the front office remains most deafening. Go get a No. 2 starter and position yourself to win the World Series right now! The bar is probably never going to be this low again.

Studs

Lucas Giolito: Six innings of work and only one run allowed. The only way the Twins had a shot in this game is if they scored a bunch of runs, and Giolito made sure that didn’t happen.

Jarren Duran: Two hits, a walk, and he hit one of the home runs.

Trevor Story: Two hits, three RBI, and he hit one of the home runs.

Three Duds

David Hamilton: The only Red Sox starter without a hit.

Justin Wilson: Came in with a five run lead in the seventh and gave up two runs, which forced Cora to use Whitlock in the eighth.

Jorge Alcala: Came in with a five run lead in the ninth and couldn’t get three outs before Cora had to call on Chapman. To be fair, Trevor Story did make a error in the frame that forced the pitching staff to get four outs, but it still led to using Chapman when another day off would have been ideal.

Play of the game:

The Twins trading away Chris Paddack on Monday.

By the way, the answers to the quiz are Pierson, Michael, Kody, Cole, and Louis.