Twins Edge BoSox 8-7

June 17, 1999 / 8:38 PM EDT / CBS/AP

With the game on the line, Minnesota Twins manager Tom Kelly decided to pitch to Boston Red Sox star Nomar Garciaparra. The gamble paid off.

Mike Trombley, who blew the opener of the four-game series, escaped an eighth-inning jam by striking out Garciaparra as the Twins hung on to beat the Red Sox 8-7 Thursday night.

With runners on first and third, two outs and Minnesota clinging to a one-run lead, Trombley fanned Garciaparra on a pitch in the dirt. Kelly came out to the mound before Garciaparra batted, but he talked about defensive assignments and not pitching around the All-Star shortstop.

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Â"There's 20,000 or 30,000 people left in the ballpark at that time and they come to see him hit,Â" Kelly said. Â"We come to see him play, too. We're not going to play like that. We're not going anywhere. If we were in a pennant race, it might have been different.Â"

Jacque Jones had a tiebreaking two-run double and went 3-for-5 as the Twins averted a four-game sweep.

Trombley, who gave up consecutive, ninth-inning homers to Darren Lewis and Jeff Frye in Monday's 4-3 loss to Boston, was glad he had another chance to finish off the Red Sox, a team he grew up rooting for in Springfield, Mass.

Before fanning Garciaparra, he struck out John Valentin with a runner on third and one out. Trombley then worked the ninth for his eighth save.

Â"I threw some good pitches to Nomar and Valentin,Â" Trombley said. Â"I got them to go for my pitch instead of just going at them.Â"

As for facing Garciaparra, he said: Â"You have to go after him. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.Â"

Valentin hit a three-run homer for Boston, which has lost eight of its last 12.

Â"We had the right people up late,Â" Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said. Â"It was just a situation where we couldn't score. You just can't come through every time. It's just not the way it is.Â"

Minnesota starter LaTroy Hawkins (3-7), who has an 8.31 ERA, got the win despite allowing five runs and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings.

The Twins broke a 5-5 tie in the fourth when Jones oubled on the first pitch by reliever Bob Wolcott, who was called up from the minors on Tuesday. Ron Coomer's RBI double in the fifth made it 8-5.

The Red Sox cut it to 8-7 in the seventh on Garciaparra's RBI single and Jason Varitek's sacrifice fly.

Boston starter Pat Rapp (2-5) was tagged for seven runs six earned on eight hits in three innings.

Marty Cordova had a two-run single, Corey Koskie added a run-scoring single and Javier Valentin had an RBI grounder to give the Twins a 4-0 lead in the first.

Boston cut it to 4-2 in the bottom half when Brian Daubach doubled in a run and Troy O'Leary singled home another. The inning lasted 37 minutes.

The Red Sox grabbed a lead 5-4 in the third on Valentin's homer into the center-field seats following singles by Lewis and Trot Nixon. Valentin was 1-for-13 in the series before the home run.

The Twins tied it 5-all in the fourth when Cordova reached second on Daubach's fielding error and later scored on a groundout.

Notes: The Red Sox placed infielder Frye on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left knee and recalled infielder Lou Merloni from Triple-A Pawtucket. Boston also reinstated left-hander Brian Barkley from the 60-day DL and optioned him to Class A Sarasota. ... The Red Sox had several defensive lapses early in the game. In the first, Cordova took second after his RBI single when the base was left uncovered. Jones went to third after his two-run double in the fourth when Jose Offerman tried to halt his throwing motion after taking the cutoff in short right and fired the ball into the ground.