BOSTON -- July just keeps getting better in Boston.The Red Sox continued their midsummer surge with another offensive barrage, getting 17 hits and routing the Minnesota Twins 13-2 on Thursday night.After closing out June by losing four of five, the Red Sox are 12-3 in July and standing alone atop the AL East.The month of July has been a very good offensive month as weve kind of gotten past that stretch in June, manager John Farrell said. Just great to see that number of quality at-bats.Mookie Betts homered on the first pitch Boston faced and the Red Sox added home runs by Jackie Bradley Jr. and David Ortiz. Boston has won three straight and nine of 10.The Red Sox managed to outdo their 16-hit total from an 11-7 win against San Francisco on Wednesday night and finished with at least 15 hits for the 15th time this season.Betts, Ortiz and Xander Bogaerts had three hits apiece and Dustin Pedroia went 5 for 5 with two doubles as Boston climbed to a season-best 15 games above .500 (54-39).Steven Wright (12-5) tied his career high with nine strikeouts and held Minnesota to four hits in eight innings. He had just set down the Twins in order in the top of the first when Betts gave Boston a 1-0 lead by driving the first pitch he saw from Tyler Duffey out to left-center for his 19th homer.Wrighty had a quick inning and I figured we might as well ride that momentum going into our first at-bat, Betts said. We were ready to play. Today it was our turn, but tomorrow it could be the opposite.Maybe, but not lately in Boston. The Red Sox have won seven straight at home.The Twins didnt reach base against Bostons knuckleballer until the fifth inning and finished with five hits.My goal is just to go as deep as I can until they tell me Im done. Today I was lucky enough to go eight, Wright said. It makes it easy when the guys score 11 runs or 12 runs, but today was an all-around good day.Wright allowed four hits and Minnesota added a ground-rule double by pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar in the ninth off reliever Clay Buchholz. The former starter came on to finish the game after Ortiz had capped off Bostons outburst with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.It got ugly, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Weve havent had a game like that in a while.Boston was up 3-0 after getting four hits against Duffey (5-7) in the first. Betts started it with the homer and Pedroia, Bogaerts and Ortiz followed with consecutive singles.Theyre a pretty aggressive team. Theyre confident, Duffey said. When theyre in a groove like that, if you dont make them uncomfortable they can lean on some stuff.Betts hit the first pitch Duffey threw out to left, then led off the third with a single as Boston added three runs and led 6-0. Duffey allowed six runs before being pulled with one out in the third after Bradley doubled for Bostons ninth hit.Max Kepler got Minnesotas first hit, singling with one out in the fifth to start a two-run rally that turned out to be the only offense for the Twins.The Red Sox were up 11-2 in the eighth when Ortiz continued his farewell tour with his 24th homer, a shot deep into the seats in right field.PEDROIA PERFECTPedroia entered Thursday without a four-hit game so far this season, then went 5 for 5 with three singles and two doubles.The thing that you love is when he hits the ball into right field, right-center field. He did it a couple times tonight, Farrell said. Thats when his swing is, I think, most pure. He might argue that. He takes pride in being able to turn on some pitches and pulling the ball.ONE FOR THE SKIPPERThe win was Bostons 300th under Farrell, who managed the Red Sox to the 2013 World Series title in his first season at the helm.It means Ive been fortunate to be in a position with a lot of good players and work with a lot of really quality people, Farrell said.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: OF Bryon Buxton was not in the starting lineup for the Twins as Molitor rested him against Wrights knuckleball. Buxton was 1 for 9 as Minnesota took two of three games against Detroit.Red Sox: Plans to get C/LF Blake Swihart (sprained left ankle) a minor-league rehab stint are on hold because of recurring soreness in his ankle. Swihart has been out since severely spraining the ankle on June 4. Farrell said Swihart started feeling the soreness as he increased the intensity of his workouts.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-6, 5.12 ERA) gets his 12th start of the season for the Twins. Gibson allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings last week against Cleveland.Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 7.18) goes for his second straight win. Rodriguez threw seven strong innings in a win over the Yankees on Saturday, allowing one run and four hits. Discount Basketball Jerseys Throwback . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Cheap Basketball Jerseys Throwback China . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. http://www.cheapbasketballthrowback.com/ . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. 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LOUIS -- A 15-2 rout at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday represented more than a loss for the St. Louis Cardinals.It took away the Cardinals ability to win their way to the playoffs without requiring help from others, putting them into a more precarious spot for the regular seasons final six days.St. Louis (81-75) enters the Tuesday night matchup with Cincinnati a game behind the San Francisco Giants (82-74) for the National Leagues second wild-card spot. The Cardinals are 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets (83-74) for the top wild-card position, thanks to New Yorks 7-3 loss at Miami on Monday.You never want to be embarrassed, and thats an embarrassing loss, Cardinals managed Mike Matheny said of the 13-run defeat in the series opener.About the only positive spin Matheny could generate from the teams worst loss of 2016 was that he got to rest some players. Catcher Yadier Molina played only four innings, while outfielders Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty were excused after five.Just three of the nine guys who started the game -- second baseman Greg Garcia, left fielder Brandon Moss and shortstop Jedd Gyorko -- played the full nine innings.The key is to let it go and get back in there and show a different product tomorrow, Matheny said. This teams done a very good job of that. It was just one of those days, but they all hurt to lose.St. Louis will turn to Adam Wainwright (12-9, 4.57 ERA) in an attempt to right the ship. The veteran right-hander is coming off a 10-5 win on Sept. 20 in Colorado, where he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings. He also did mmajor damage with his bat, driving in four runs to give him 18 RBI in 58 at-bats.ddddddddddddainwright hasnt enjoyed much success against the Reds this year, though, going 0-1 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts. In his career against Cincinnati, Wainwright is just 8-10 with a 4.41 ERA.He will be opposed by rookie right-hander Robert Stephenson (2-2, 5.59 ERA), who was tagged for eight hits and four runs over 3 2/3 innings Wednesday night in a 9-2 loss at the Chicago Cubs. Stephenson will face the Cardinals for the first time.Cincinnati (66-90) enjoyed perhaps its best game of the year Monday night, banging out 22 hits in a game for the first time since 2003 and notching a season high in runs. Along the way, a gaggle of Reds achieved significant milestones.Left fielder Adam Duvall tallied single-game career highs with four hits, four runs and five RBI. He reached 100 RBI for the first time in his career with a three-run homer in the fifth -- his second of the game.That Duvall has 33 homers and 100 RBI is significant. Not only was he playing his first full major league season after coming to Cincinnati last July from San Francisco, but he was expected to be a platoon outfielder.Phenomenal, Reds manager Bryan Price said of Duvalls season. Its a huge accomplishment to hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs, and make the All-Star team. Its hard to be really good for 162 games, but even when his offense has suffered, hes never let it affect his defense. ' ' '