FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Mookie Betts ripped his third home run of Spring Training for the split-squad Red Sox, who fell to the Twins, 8-6, on Friday afternoon at JetBlue Park. The leadoff man also singled and scored in the bottom of the first.
Andrew Benintendi, the seventh overall pick in last year's Draft, belted two singles in his debut for the Red Sox. The No. 3 Boston prospect was summoned over from Minor League camp when Jackie Bradley Jr. (right forearm soreness) was scratched from the lineup about an hour before game-time.
Twins righty Tyler Duffey recovered from a tough start his last time out to hold the Red Sox to one run over four innings.
"So far, I think it's been a settling in thing," Duffey said. "In each of my starts, the first innings have been long. But after that, I've settled in. So I think it's just about getting that first inning out of the way. But I felt great today and everything worked."
The Twins jumped on Rick Porcello for three runs in the top of the second, getting an RBI single from Eduardo Escobar and a two-run double by Ryan Sweeney.
Aside from the rough second inning, Porcello minimized the damage. The righty gave up six hits and three runs over four innings, walking one and striking out two.
"I felt better," Porcello said. "Second inning, came out of my delivery a little bit. I was trying to do a little too much and it resulted in some hits and some pitches that were elevated in the strike zone. [Overall], a lot more pitches down. a lot more pitches down at the knees today. More groundballs. It was definitely a step in the right direction."
The Red Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a three-run homer to center by non-roster invitee Ryan LaMarre. Carlos Quentin drilled a two-run homer in the top of the eighth to give the Twins the lead. The veteran is trying to win a spot on the bench.
Up next for the Red Sox: Right-hander Joe Kelly gets the start on Saturday when the Red Sox play a 1:05 p.m. ET home game against the Cardinals. Setup man Koji Uehara will also see action in that game, and so will righty Carlos Marmol, who is trying to make the team as a non-roster invitee.
Up next for the Twins: Left-hander Tommy Milone makes the start for the Twins against the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., at 12:05 p.m. CT. Milone and fellow veteran Ricky Nolasco are essentially competing for the last spot in the rotation. Other pitchers scheduled to see action include Michael Tonkin, Buddy Boshers, Logan Darnell and Dan Runzler.