Leftovers from a 1-0 game that still took 2 hours, 45 minutes:
ORTIZ IS HUMAN: David Ortiz started chatting with Kendrys Morales in center field before the game, and before long, Danny Santana and Oswaldo Arcia had drifted over, too. Ortiz held court for about 10 minutes, gesturing with gusto to make his points. But during the game, Ortiz was far less noticeable, going 0-for-3 with a pair of groundouts. He did smash a Kevin Correia pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark in the sixth inning, but Sam Fuld caught it with his back against the wall. Fuld smiled at the Twins' narrow escape, and Ortiz threw up his hands in disgust. Call it a major victory for the Twins, who were hammered by Ortiz -- 8 for 14, four home runs -- in three games last month in Target Field.
YOU HAVE VISITORS: With the Rock Cats enjoying an off day, New Britain manager Jeff Smith drove up to Boston to drop in on the Twins' coaching staff. And Kennys Vargas, the mammoth first baseman who already has bashed 12 home runs in Class AA this season, came to the ballpark as well, stopping by the Twins' clubhouse. The 23-year-old Vargas is batting .319 with a .528 slugging average, so it won't be long before he's actually dressing in that same clubhouse.
NO WALL BALL: Ron Gardenhire said after the game that "you don't get many of these 1-0 games here." He probably didn't know how right he was. Monday's loss was the 296th time the teams have met in Fenway Park -- and only the fifth time that the Twins have lost 1-0. The last one, the only one managed by Gardenhire, came in 2007. Minnesota, by the way, has won only two 1-0 games here, and none in the past 30 years. "Normally it's wall-ball here," Gardenhire said. "We kept wondering when someone was going to put up a five-spot and break it open."
