TWINS 8, RED SOX 2
at Fort Myers, Fla.
Sunday, March 2

Red Sox at the plate: Mike Lowell connected on a 3-2 pitch from Livan Hernandez and drilled it over the left-field wall for his first homer of the spring leading off the second. David Ortiz doubled in the first in two at-bats as the Red Sox dropped their first game of the Grapefruit League campaign.

Twins at the plate: Jon Knott opened the four-run third inning with a long solo homer to left off Clay Buchholz. Adam Everett and Michael Cuddyer also had doubles in the inning, with Cuddyer's double driving in two runs.

Red Sox on the mound: Tim Wakefield allowed one hit in two scoreless innings, while Buchholz was roughed up in his first inning of work, allowing four runs, and five hits. He rebounded to retire the side in order in the fourth.

Twins on the mound: Hernandez allowed two hits, a two-out double to Ortiz in the first and a solo homer to Lowell, in his two innings of work. Hernandez struck out one and walked none in his first outing with the Twins. Matt Guerrier and Pat Neshek followed with perfect frames in the third and fourth, respectively.

Grapefruit League records: Twins 1-3; Red Sox 2-1.

Up next: Kyle Snyder gets the call as the Red Sox travel across the state to Jupiter to take on the Florida Marlins at 1 p.m. ET on Monday. Josh Beckett will start a "B" game against the Twins at City of Palms Park. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. and first pitch is at 10 a.m. for the contest. Admission is free. Jason Varitek and Sean Casey are among the regulars who will stay behind and play at City of Palms.