Story, Red Sox capitalize on double error while Early stifles Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- For this Wednesday matinee at Target Field, the Red Sox just needed to regain their footing and get home in one piece after losing the first two games of the series to the Twins by an aggregate score of 19-6.

Well, everything started to change in the right direction for Boston when Minnesota second baseman Luke Keaschall literally lost his footing and landed on his back for a rare double error in the top of the third inning. Two runs came home.

On the very next pitch, Trevor Story mauled a three-run homer to left-center, and the Red Sox had some mojo back and were well en route to a 9-5 victory to salvage the finale of the three-game series and a 3-3 road trip, setting up a happy flight back to Boston.

“Yeah, that felt good,” Story said. “Obviously, we needed to win this one today to finish the road trip .500. I had a chance early in the game, second and third with less than two [outs], and didn't get it done. So I felt good about getting it done that second time.”

Story (two-run double in the sixth) would be heard from again on a day he had five RBIs.

If veteran leader Story rebalanced his club from an offensive standpoint, rookie lefty Connelly Early was every bit as instrumental in doing so from the mound.

With ace Garrett Crochet and No. 2 starter Sonny Gray turning in surprisingly subpar starts the previous two games, Early proved why he is Boston’s No. 3 prospect as rated by MLB Pipeline. The 24-year-old fired six sparkling innings in which he allowed two hits and a run while walking two and striking out five. He threw 85 pitches, 52 for strikes, while lowering his ERA to 2.29.

“He was working fast, efficient. He was attacking. He set the tone,” said Story. “So that's the kind of pitching you love to play defense behind, and it keeps us on our toes and keeps us ready to make a play.”

The Sox are 7-0 when they get a quality start and 0-11 when they don’t.

“I’ve been saying it all along,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “When we pitch, we’re gonna win. Great job by the offense, great job by [Early]. For him to give us that was very important.”

Early’s ability to look nerveless despite his lack of experience continues to impress one and all. And that dates back to last season, when he came up as a September callup and shoved.

By shaking off an early solo shot by Austin Martin in the bottom of the first, Early allowed the Red Sox to win for the first time in eight tries this season when the opponent scored first.

“For a young guy like himself, he looks like he has 10 years [of experience],” said Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony. “Watching that, watching the way he adjusts to an early home run, a moment that was kind of like, ‘Oh crap, here we may go again,’ right? But he just toes the rubber and just dominates the rest of the game.”

Early is Boston’s only starter this season to give up two runs or fewer in all four of his starts. The issue in his previous two starts was length, or lack thereof. On April 4 against the Padres, Early threw 88 pitches in four innings. Against the Cardinals six days later, he threw 86 pitches in 4 1/3 innings.

Efficiency is key. This was the first time in Early’s nine career starts (including one in the postseason) that he went a full six innings.

Given what had transpired the previous two days, his timing could not have been better.

“Coming into today, I wanted to go as deep as I could into the game. Got through six,” said Early. “It's nice to get through six innings for the first time this year.”

Boston now heads home for a four-game series against the Tigers that starts on Friday, followed by three rivalry games vs. the Yankees as the club tries to chip away at its first goal of getting back to .500 for the first time since the second game of the season.

Not much has come easy for Cora’s squad thus far in ‘26, which made this sunny afternoon in Minneapolis all the more enjoyable.

And it was a win that came on a day the team’s most productive hitters to date didn’t play. Willson Contreras was out with back tightness and Wilyer Abreu got a rest.

“It’s good for the whole team,” Contreras said. “Like I said before, it's a whole team. It's not about one guy. I'm glad that they stepped up today. Took good at-bats, took advantage of everything they could, of course the big homer for Trevor. We won today. That's what’s important.”