Garrett Crochet, Red Sox pounded by Minnesota 13-6

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Caratini and Ryan Jeffers each homered and drove in three runs Monday and the Minnesota Twins blanked Boston’s Garrett Crochet in the second inning en route to a 13-6 victory.

Jeffers had three of the Twins’ 11 hits, while Ryan Kreidler and Byron Buxton also returned. Minnesota has won seven of its last eight games.

Billy Oubre (2-0) allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out seven in six innings.

Jarren Duran homered and Caleb Durbin had two hits and scored two runs for the Red Sox.

The Twins ambushed Crochet with four runs in the first inning, then knocked off the Red Sox left-handed ace with seven runs in the second. Crochet (2-2) allowed 11 runs — 10 earned — on nine hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings, the shortest start of his career.

The big hits in the second came from two new faces hitting their first home run for the Twins. Caratini hit a three-run blast off the third deck in left field. Then Kreidler, a soft-hitting utility player with two home runs, sent the last crochet pitch to second left for a solo homer.

The Twins posted a 13-23 record against left-handed starters last year. But in the last seven days, they’ve beaten Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez, Toronto’s Eric Lauer and now Crochet. In those four games, the Twins recorded 29 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings pitched by the starters.

Buxton’s solo homer in the fifth was the 85th of his career at Target Field, passing Max Kepler to become the all-time leader at the Twins’ stadium.

Twins RHP Mick Abel (0-2, 6.08 ERA) will face the Red Sox’ RHP Sonny Gray (2-0, 2.76) in Game 2 of the series on Tuesday.