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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Morgan Burkhart won't allow himself any time
to stop and reflect on his new surroundings.
Instead, the 28-year-old Boston rookie, who hit his first major
league home run Monday night as part of a fourth-inning barrage in
which the Red Sox tied a team record with four homers, was all
business after boosting his average to .400 since he was called up
June 27.
|  | | Morgan Burkhart is congratulated by Red Sox teammate Brain Daubach after his fourth-inning homer. |
"I try not to (think about it)," Burkhart said an 11-8 win
over the Minnesota Twins. "Hopefully I'm not done."
Manager Jimy Williams sure thinks about Burkhart, who spent four
seasons with the Richmond Roosters of the independent Frontier
League from 1995-98 and was MVP of the Mexican winter league last
season.
"This kid, since he's joined us, has gotten some big hits for
us," Williams said. "He's seeing the ball good out of the
pitchers hand."
Burkhart has hit safely in five of the seven games since being
called up from Triple-A Pawtucket when Trot Nixon went on the
disabled list.
Burkhart, Carl Everett, Troy O'Leary and Jason Varitek tied a
Red Sox record by homering in the nine-run fourth. The Red Sox
matched a club mark for homers in an inning last accomplished July
18, 1998, against Detroit. Boston has done it eight times since
1940.
Everett and O'Leary started the burst with consecutive home runs
and both doubled later in the inning. Burkhart, Varitek and O'Leary
each finished with three RBI and Everett scored three runs.
Hipolito Pichardo (3-1) got the win in relief of starter Ramon
Martinez, who gave up six earned runs on eight hits and four walks
in three innings. Derek Lowe pitched 1 1/3 innings for his 18th
save in 22 chances.
Williams said Martinez's performance was acceptable, even though
he looked overmatched in the fourth, allowing the Twins to creep
back in the game.
"If you just looked at his line, maybe you'd say he had a bad
night, but he did keep us in the game," Williams said.
Minnesota's Jacque Jones said the key to roughing up Martinez
was taking pitches early in the count.
"We were making him throw pitches," Jones said. "We were
patient and when he did put them in there, we got hits."
The Twins took a 3-1 lead into the fourth. Everett and O'Leary
homered to tie it and, after a walk to Ed Sprague, Varitek also
homered. The three home runs came in a span of nine pitches against
Mike Lincoln (0-2).
Boston chased Lincoln after Everett doubled for his second hit
in the fourth. O'Leary then delivered a two-run double.
Lincoln, called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on June 16, has given
up six home runs in 10 innings this season.
"Terrible baseball game. We pitched awful, had a hard time
throwing the ball to a spot on location," Minnesota manager Tom
Kelly said. "Rough day for the Twins."
The Twins went ahead 2-0 in the first when Ron Coomer hit an RBI
double and David Ortiz walked with the bases loaded.
Ortiz had three RBIs in no official plate appearances before
being removed for a pinch-hitter in the sixth. He had two sacrifice
flies, tying a Twins record last set June 9, 1998, by Marty Cordova
against the Chicago Cubs.
Game
notes
Twins second baseman Jay Canizaro left with a strained back
in the eighth. He will be evaluated Tuesday. ... The Red Sox have
hit back-to-back home runs six times this season. ... Minnesota's
Corey Koskie, who went 3-for-3, has hit safely in 17 of his last 18
games. ... Opponents are hitting .449 against Lincoln this season.
... Hector Carrasco threw two wild pitches in the fifth inning. ...
The Twins have quietly launched a campaign to get Bert Blyleven
into the Hall of Fame. Blyleven, now a commentator on Twins
television broadcasts, was 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA in his 22-year
major league career. He spent 10½ seasons with Minnesota. Twins
public relations officials have been leaving copies of a flyer
touting Blyleven's accomplishments in press boxes around the
league. "We don't think he's gotten the number of votes he
deserves," said Dave St. Peter, Minnesota's senior vice president
of business affairs. St. Peter said the flyers are the first phase
of the campaign, which will later include having Blyleven launch a
web site and write a column.
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