Red Sox top Twins in nightcap for seventh straight win

Baseball Betting Lines

04/22/2009 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Bailey's first home run of the season, a three-run shot, led the way as Boston upended Minnesota, 7-3, in the back half of a day-night doubleheader which completed a two-game set at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz drove in a pair for the Red Sox, who took a rain-shortened seven- inning 10-1 victory earlier Wednesday and swept the shortened series.

Boston has racked up a perfect 6-0 record on its current homestand and has won seven consecutive games. The Sox look to extend that streak as they welcome the New York Yankees on Friday to begin a three-game weekend series with their bitter rivals.

Brad Penny (2-0) allowed six hits and three runs -- two earned -- over six full frames for the victory.

Justin Morneau finished 2-for-3 with a homer and two runs scored for the Twins, who have dropped four of their last seven games.

Francisco Liriano (0-4) was tagged in the loss for seven runs on four hits, with six strikeouts and four walks over four innings.

The game was delayed 47 minutes by a similar rain storm which caused the truncation of the first contest, but it didn't slow the Sox down.

Boston put up the first runs of the contest in the home second as Bailey drilled a two-out, three-run shot over the Green Monster. J.D. Drew walked with one out and Liriano hit Jason Varitek with two down prior to the homer.

Ortiz added a two-run double in the third to push the lead to 5-0 before Morneau led off the fourth with a solo blast to dead center.

Jason Kubel followed with a ground-rule double and scored on Nick Green's fielding error on a Brian Buscher ground ball which cut the Twins deficit to three.

The Sox got those two runs back in the home half on an RBI groundout by Jacoby Ellsbury and a Dustin Pedroia sacrifice fly.

Minnesota picked up a run in the sixth as Morneau led off with a double, moved up on a Kubel fly out and scored on Michael Cuddyer's ground out.

Hideki Okajima followed by retiring the side in order in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Game Notes

The Sox have won five in a row and six of eight over the Twins dating back to last season...Bailey's blast was his fourth career round-tripper...Morneau's long ball was his third of 2009...Minnesota continues on to Cleveland for a three-game series starting Friday.

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Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

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