Sox stopper Sale aims to silence Twins (Jul 26, 2018)

BOSTON -- It would be hard for the Boston Red Sox to ask Chris Sale to do anything more than he has for the team this season, especially during the last month.

But Friday night, the skinny left-hander will try to end Boston's first two-game losing streak in more than a month when he faces the Minnesota Twins in the second game of a four-game series at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox, who haven't lost three in a row since April, dropped two straight games on June 19-20 at Minnesota and have now lost two in a row again (with the rainout that wiped out a 5-0 lead in Baltimore in the middle).

Sale, 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA overall, has allowed one run in 33 innings of his last five starts -- yielding 18 hits and striking out 57 while walking one during that span. He has given up five earned runs in his last eight starts.

Starting play Thursday, Sale was leading the major leagues in strikeouts (197), strikeouts per nine innings (13.13), opponents' batting average (.180) and opponents' OPS (.536). He was leading the American League (second in MLB) in ERA and was second in the league in WHIP (0.80).

He will face Lance Lynn, one of the Twins who has been mentioned as trade fodder with the deadline approaching. But Minnesota won its fourth straight Thursday night and is seven games behind the Cleveland Indians in the woeful AL Central.

"Oh, we're gonna win the division," closer Fernando Rodney said after escaping a ninth-inning jam for the save in Thursday's 2-1 win

Kyle Gibson, another name mentioned in trade talks, pitched eight strong innings in front of opposition scouts Thursday night. Catcher Mitch Garver, who drove in five runs in Wednesday's win in Toronto, had the winning hit Thursday and noted his pitcher may have gotten himself traded.

"We all understand that," Garver said. "That's the way it goes. Just an inspired performance."

Lynn is 7-8 with a 5.23 ERA this season and 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in four career regular-season starts against Boston, 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two games at Fenway. But he also lost a game while pitching twice against the Red Sox for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 World Series.

He beat the Sox on June 20 in Minneapolis, going five innings without allowing an earned run.

Sale is 10-6 with a 4.12 ERA in 27 games -- 19 starts -- against the Twins in his career. He had a no-decision and struck out 11 in six innings on June 19 at Minnesota.

The Twins have won three of their four games against the Red Sox this season.

The Red Sox, whose lead atop of the AL East dipped to 4 1/2 games over the Yankees, had the bases loaded with two outs and a 3-0 count on Jackie Bradley Jr. against Rodney, but the veteran threw three straight strikes to end it. Mitch Moreland, on the bench, is 6-for-10 lifetime against Rodney.

Eddie Rosario is 5-for-13 (.385) and Logan Morrison 5-for-15 (.333) with a homer off Sale. Brian Dozier has a .273 batting average but four doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs in 44 career at-bats against him. Joe Mauer is 8-for-41 (.195).

Mookie Betts is 4-for-8 (.500) with a homer against Lynn, Xander Bogaerts is just 1-for-11 (.091) and Andrew Benintendi 1-for-7 (.143).

The Red Sox announced before the game that Nathan Eovaldi, just acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, will start Sunday's series finale against the Twins, Boston sent Brandon Workman, who has pitched well, back to Triple-A to make room for Eovaldi on the 25-man roster.

"I'm very excited about joining the Red Sox," Eovaldi said after throwing a bullpen Thursday. "I'm very thankful for the opportunity they're giving me. I know they gave up a big prospect in (Jalen) Beeks for me, so yeah, I'm super excited to be here."