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Red Sox try to rebound versus Twins

May 6, 2011 - 3:15 PM (Sports Network) - The Boston Red Sox were dealt a major blow in the finale of a four-game set versus the LA Angels and look to get off the canvas tonight in the first of four straight matchups with the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.

Boston lost the last two installments of the series with Anaheim after winning three in a row, and dropped an 11-0 decision Thursday afternoon. The Angels grinded out 18 hits to Boston's seven and roughed up former rotation ace John Lackey to the tune of eight runs on 10 hits and three walks in four innings.

"He didn't have his best stuff," Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said of the right-hander on the club's site. "But we knew going in we had to go deep into the game, so I think we tried to do the best we could to go deep. He made a few mistakes, [but] they just came out swinging today knowing that we had to throw strikes and go deep."

Saltalamacchia was referring to Wednesday's 5-3 loss in 13 innings in which the Red Sox were forced to use eight pitchers, including Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka was slated to throw Friday's opener versus the Twins, but Wakefield will handle pitching duties instead.

David Ortiz picked up the slack in the finale with the Angels by going 3- for-3, while Jed Lowrie posted the lone extra-base hit on a double for Boston, which is 3-4 on an 11-game homestand and has lost six of 10 overall.

The Red Sox are counting on Wakefield to revive their spirits in just the knuckleballer's second start of the season. He registered two outs in the extra-inning loss to Anaheim and has no record with a 4.08 earned run average in nine games (1 start) this season.

Wakefield's only start in 2011 was against Seattle on May 1, when he delivered 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a 3-2 victory. He has faced Minnesota several times in his career, going 14-6 with a 4.31 ERA, two saves and a pair of complete games in 27 appearances, 24 of which have been starts.

Minnesota enters this Beantown series following a quick two-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox from U.S. Cellular Field. In Wednesday's 3-2 triumph in the Windy City, Jason Kubel had a sacrifice fly and Rene Tosoni stroked an RBI single in the decisive sixth inning to lead the way.

Kubel also got the Twins on the board first with a run-scoring single, while Denard Span collected two hits and scored twice for Minnesota, winners in two straight games after a six-game slide. The Twins ended the skid with Francisco Liriano's no-hitter on Tuesday and are 2-3 on a nine-game road trip.

"It was a nice win today, a battle," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.

Nick Blackburn picked up the win by holding the White Sox to a run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. Jose Mijares, Glen Perkins and Matt Capps went the rest of the way to preserve the win, with Capps notching his fifth save in 1 2/3 innings.

Scott Baker will make his sixth start of the season this evening for Minnesota and is 1-0 over his previous three trips to the hill. Baker's offense did not rise to the occasion in last Friday's 4-3 loss at Kansas City, as the right- hander was slapped with a no-decision for allowing two runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Baker, who is 1-2 with a 3.16 earned run average in 2011, has walked only one batter in each of his last three outings and is still aiming for his first career win against Boston. In four career matchups, three of which have been starts, with the Red Sox, Baker is 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA.

The Red Sox have won seven in a row at Fenway Park versus the Twins and went 3-2 in last season's series.