BOSTON -- The Twins had been outscored 30-9 over the first two innings this year, so Scott Baker couldn't help be thrilled to have a 4-0 lead in the second inning Friday.
"I think you'd hear any starter say ... it allows you to kind of attack guys and come right at them," Baker said.
That's what Baker did over eight innings, as the Twins cruised to a 9-2 victory. The Red Sox got home runs from J.D. Drew (second inning) and Adrian Gonzalez (fourth inning), but that was it, as Baker allowed seven hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
"Bake was outstanding," Manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He attacked the strike zone and attacked their hitters, which is tough to do in this ballpark. They've got some great hitters."
After allowing four runs in each of his first two starts, Baker has quietly gone 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his past four starts. They've been fairly tough assignments, all on the road -- at Tampa Bay, at Baltimore, at Kansas City and at Boston -- and he's posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 25-to-4.
When a team rolls to an easy victory against Boston's Tim Wakefield, it's tough to read too much into it because his knuckleball is boom-or-bust. But Baker's success is a definite good sign moving forward.
