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Red Sox look to trim magic number against Twins

Sep 28, 2007 - 1:09 PM Minnesota (78-81) at Boston (94-65), 7:05 pm EDT

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox squandered an opportunity to trim their magic number to clinch the American League East to one in the series opener. They'll give it another try on Friday when they host the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins knocked Red Sox ace Josh Beckett around for five runs and 10 his in six innings, and closer Joe Nathan worked out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth to lock down a 5-4 victory in the opener on Thursday.

Boston's lead in the AL East is now down to two games over the New York Yankees (92-67), who finish their season with a three-game series at lowly Baltimore over the weekend.

Should the bitter rivals end the season with the same record, the Yankees would win the division based on a 10-8 advantage in the season series.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (14-12, 4.48 ERA) will take his final regular season turn in the rotation for the Red Sox. The Japanese righthander has been terrible since the middle of August, going 1-4 with an 8.15 ERA in his last seven starts.

The 27-year-old rookie pitched in a six-man rotation during 135-game seasons in Japan, and he seems to have hit a wall during the longer major league campaign. His outing on Friday could determine his status in the team's rotation during the playoffs.

The Twins will counter with rookie Kevin Slowey (4-0, 4.57). The 23-year-old righthander has been sharp in his last two starts, going 1-0 while surrendering a total two runs and eight hits in 13 frames.