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Correia eyes another strong outing at Fenway

Jun 16, 2014 - 3:04 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Maybe veteran Kevin Correia is ready for a full-scale corner change.

The Minnesota Twins certainly hope so, and everyone will find out on Monday night when they visit the Boston Red Sox to begin a three-game series at Fenway Park.

Correia has given up three or more runs in 10 of his 13 starts in 2014 and has lost seven times, which is second in the American League. But he turned in his best effort of the season on Tuesday in Toronto, where he tossed six scoreless inning in a 4-0 defeat of the Blue Jays.

"It was good because I think I threw the ball not much different than I've been throwing the ball," he said. "I think some balls got hit to people and saved us some runs. And that's what you need to have good results. I just think I've been semi-unlucky."

He faced the Red Sox and was raked for five runs on nine hits in just four innings on May 14 while dropping a 9-4 decision in Minnesota.

The Twins, however, have won three straight in Boston and could stretch it to four straight at Fenway for the first time since they won five in a row in 1993-94.

The Red Sox had won seven in a row at home before losing two consecutive games to Cleveland.

"All we can do is keep going out there and keep getting guys on base and working," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "Guys hit some balls hard. They made some good plays. There's nothing you can do."

For Boston, Rubby De La Rosa makes his fourth start of the season and looks to snap a brief two-decision skid.

He lost to Detroit on June 6 and to Baltimore last Wednesday after he'd debuted on May 31 with a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

"I thought (Wednesday) was an important learning experience for him, the way in which he needs to use his fastball," manager John Farrell said. "Quickly the word spreads around this league on what an individual pitcher will go to."

He was with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he last faced the Twins in 2011 and lost a 1-0 decision.

On Sunday in Detroit, Torii Hunter scored on J.D. Martinez's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Tigers over the Twins, 4-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The Twins sent Casey Fien (3-3) to the mound in the ninth. Hunter led off with a single to left, advanced to third when Oswaldo Arcia dropped Victor Martinez's deep fly ball to right and tagged up on J.D. Martinez's sac fly to center. Detroit pitcher Joe Nathan (3-2) stranded runners on first and second in the top of the ninth to pick up the win against his former club.

Minnesota starter Ricky Nolasco gave up three runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings.

In Boston, Nick Swisher's 11th-inning home run led the Indians to a 3-2 victory over the Red Sox in the final installment of a four-game set.

Swisher clubbed a leadoff homer to right off Junichi Tazawa (1-1) during the 11th and Michael Brantley homered in the first for the Indians.

Boston's David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia each drove in a run and starter Brandon Workman gave up two runs on five hits with a season-high seven strikeouts across six frames.