G15: Red Sox 6, Twins 5

Red Sox - 120 000 201 - 6 12  2
Twins   - 000 410 000 - 5  8  0

Cody Ross hit two home runs - one to left that tied the game in the seventh and another shot, this one to right-center, to give the Red Sox a lead in the ninth - and Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves closed out the game as Boston snapped a five-game losing streak.

Lester (7-6-5-4-4, 112) breezed through the first three innings, hit a major snag in the fourth, but finished strongly, retiring his last seven batters. Franklin Morales allowed a triple to Jamey Carroll to open the eighth (Carroll came off the bag on his slide and was tagged out by Kevin Youkilis, but the umpire was either blocked by the runner or blew the call). Morales retired Joe Mauer before Bard came in to get the final two outs. Aceves worked around a harmless, one-out single in the ninth.

Jon Lester / Jason Marquis

Dear Sox: Please read this small pamphlet.

Boston (4-10) begins a seven-game road trip with three games against the Twins (5-11). From there, they play four games in Chicago.

Bobby Valentine said that Daniel Bard might be available out of the bullpen either tonight or on Tuesday. Bard is still penciled in to start on Friday against the White Sox.