Twins lose but Eddie Rosario gets key time in at the plate

FORT MYERS, Fla. – There's nothing like a nice fat pitch to get your bat going in spring training.

Eddie Rosario, trying to make up for missing nearly two weeks of games, got a pitch over the plate from Red Sox righthander Rick Porcello and drove it over the head of right fielder Mookie Betts for an RBI double in the first inning.

That allowed the Twins to take an early lead, but Boston scored three runs in the bottom of inning and ended up beating the Twins 4-2 on Friday at JetBlue Park.

The win allowed the Red Sox to clinch the Governor's Cup, awarded to winner of the annual spring training series.

But it's more important for players to get ready for the regular season. Rosario has been slowed by triceps tendinitis, which kept him out of the lineup until Thursday, when he was the designated hitter against Tampa Bay.

Rosario was the DH again on Friday, playing the entire game and getting four plate appearances. He went 1-for-4.

"I gave him the option after three (at-bats)," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I was hoping he would say yes. Just keep seeing pitches. He looks pretty good up there."

"I was out of action for a couple of weeks," Rosario said. "I just wanted to keep seeing pitches and get ready for the season."

Rosario is now scheduled to work out Saturday and play in left field on Sunday in a minor league game. It will be Rosario's first time throwing in a game since March 4 against Pittsburgh.

He'll be told to take it easy with his throws."He just has to be smart," Molitor said. "He feels good, He just can't get too caught up in any one moment."

Boston scored three runs in the first inning off of Twins righthander Myles Jaye, including a two-run double by Hanley Ramirez.

The Twins cut it to 3-2 on a strange play in the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Byron Buxton popped up in front of the plate. The infield fly rule was called, but Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart botched the fly ball, and it fell to the ground. Porcello picked up the ball, stepped on home plate, which meant nothing, then threw to second.