Stay in first place is short one

After Detroit lost its game with Baltimore earlier in the day, the Twins briefly were tied for the division lead. But Johan Santana struggled, Josh Beckett didn't and Minnesota fell back to second.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: September 22, 2006 - 12:13 AM

BOSTON - For the Twins, Thursday turned into a frustrating series of missed opportunities.

They wasted a chance to move atop the American League Central for the first time this season. Johan Santana lost a chance for his 19th victory.

And the biggest miss of all, in their 6-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox, came in the tiny blades of grass in Fenway Park's infield.

The Twins turned a simple little bunt into a huge second-inning mess and never recovered, losing for only the third time in their past 13 games.

Santana's throwing error on an Alex Gonzalez bunt opened the door for a three-run Red Sox second inning. The Twins wound up with their 14th shutout loss of the season, getting only six hits over eight innings against Josh Beckett (16-10).

David Ortiz hit his 51st home run of the season in the first inning off Santana, breaking the Red Sox single-season record, then added No. 52 in the seventh off Matt Guerrier.

The Twins remained a half-game back of Detroit, which had lost to Baltimore moments before the game in Boston started.

"Sometimes when you get beat, you need some help from some other people," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "And tonight it looks like we're getting help from other people, so that's a good thing."

As Gardenhire said this, Seattle was finishing a 9-0 drubbing of the Chicago White Sox.

That lowered the Twins' magic number to five. With any combination of Twins victories and White Sox losses totaling five, the Twins will clinch at least the wild card berth.

After winning the first two games in Boston, the Twins fell to 5-2 on this 10-game road trip that continues in Baltimore tonight.

It defies all logic, but both losses on the trip have started with Santana (18-6) on the mound. The Twins are now 26-7 in his starts.

He looks like a shoo-in for a second Cy Young Award, but he probably lost his chance at a second 20-victory season. His next start comes Tuesday against Kansas City, but assuming the Twins clinch a playoff berth, they probably will save Santana for a possible Game 1 playoff appointment rather than start him the last game of the season, against Chicago.

"I would never start worrying about Johan doing his part," Gardenhire said. "A little mistake cost him the ballgame, and that was him trying to make a play."

When Ortiz hit his 51st homer, it was the first sign that this wasn't going to be Santana's night.

Aiming for the outside corner, he left a first-pitch fastball over the inner half of the plate -- a big no-no against Big Papi -- and Ortiz crushed the pitch into the right-field seats.

But Santana's ultimate undoing came on the second-inning bunt.

With his cat-like quickness, Santana pounced on the ball and had plenty of time to nab Carlos Pena running for third. But Santana muffed it, missing the ball on his first attempt to grab it. In a mad rush, he tried getting the out at first base, but his throw went right toward the runner, and second baseman Luis Castillo, who was covering first, couldn't grab it.

Pena scored. Gabe Kapler scored. And Gonzalez advanced to third.

"I didn't have a good angle," Santana said. "And I cost us a couple runs."

Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com