Twin killing

MINNEAPOLIS -- Bronson Arroyo's intentions? Good. His logic? Misguided. His execution? Well, that conjured memories of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay, who, upon being asked after one particularly unsettling defeat what he thought of his team's execution, responded, ''I'm in favor of it."

The situation last night: Bottom of the first inning, bases loaded with Twins, one out, lefthanded slugger Justin Morneau at the plate. Morneau chopped Arroyo's initial offering just right of the mound, where Arroyo easily gloved it. There was a force play at home, but Arroyo pivoted and threw toward second in an attempt to begin an inning-ending double play.

The ball -- chucked off line and, basically, into the ground -- bounced into shallow left field. Arroyo, standing helplessly, slapped himself in the head. Joe Mauer scored. Matthew LeCroy scored. Jacque Jones, running from first, scored.

''All of a sudden we have guys running in 18 different directions," lamented Sox manager Terry Francona. ''They're running the bases. We're backing up bases. It really puts you in a hole, and it got worse."

That play, which staked the Twins to a 4-0 lead, was microcosmic of an entirely haphazard evening in which the Sox absorbed a 12-0 undressing, halting the club's season-best winning streak at eight games. The Twins, who went into last night 0 for 24 with runners in scoring position in their previous five games (four losses), tied a season high with 16 hits (the Sox had four) and plated a season-high 12 runs.

The loss marked Boston's second worst of the season -- the 15-2 pounding by the Blue Jays July 1 still stands as a greater indignity, when employing run differential as the measuring stick. But, as shutout losses go, the Sox hadn't been pounded this badly since sustaining a 13-0 flogging July 23, 1990, in Milwaukee.

''I'd rather lose this way than a 1-0 game," said Kevin Millar, whose homerless drought reached 139 at-bats thanks to former Lowell Spinner Lew Ford, who soared over the wall in center to haul in a seventh-inning drive that Millar hit at least 410 feet. ''We got our [butt] kicked."

And while that was true, the Sox lost this game as much as the Twins won it. Arroyo, for instance, needed 40 pitches to complete one inning and 91 pitches through 3 2/3 innings, at which point he was lifted, having allowed seven runs. But, only two were earned.

His throwing error accounted for two unearned runs in Minnesota's four-run first, and Bill Mueller's fourth-inning throwing error led to three runs, none earned.

To understand Arroyo's miscue you have to first know of the play that preceded it. Jones had hit a ball to Millar, and the first baseman had charged, looked the runner at third home, then found himself unable to get to first base. Arroyo's path to first had been blocked by Millar, so he hadn't covered the bag. Neither had Tony Graffanino.

''What am I supposed to do there?" Millar said, when asked about the play.

Francona's take: ''Kevin and I were talking about that the whole next inning. He checks the runner, which he has to do, but Bronson has to stop because [Millar's] right in his line. We're stuck in no man's land. It was a freaky play. It happens."

Arroyo, though, couldn't shake it. So when Morneau hit the next ball back to Arroyo, greed got the best of him.

''Basically, I let the play before, with Millar, take me away from doing what I should have done with the ball when it comes back to me," said Arroyo, who called going to second base an ''inexcusable mental error."

In the fourth, Twins left fielder Michael Ryan began the inning by grounding rather routinely to Mueller, who threw high and wide of Millar. Jason Bartlett then flied out, Ford singled, and Nick Punto whiffed. Instead of the inning being over, Mauer was allowed to bat. He doubled deep to left-center, knocking in Ryan and Ford for two of his four RBIs. LeCroy followed by crushing Arroyo's 91st, and final, pitch down the line in left for a double, plating Mauer for a 7-0 lead.

Arroyo, who said he felt as strong as he ever has on a mound, left, disgusted with the mental decision that undid his outing.

''It's definitely more frustrating than anything you can do physically," he said. ''The hardest thing to do in baseball is to wipe out the negative that's happened to you. It was definitely irritating."

Mike Myers and Manny Delcarmen provided a scoreless three-inning bridge between Arroyo and Jeremi Gonzalez, who recorded the last out of the seventh and worked the disastrous eighth. As hit after hit sailed by Gonzalez he worked quicker and quicker, his interest and effectiveness waning. The Twins raked him for five runs on five consecutive hits (Ford single, Luis Rodriguez single, Mauer single, Terry Tiffee double, Jones homer).

The Boston miscues figured to be the only way the decomposing Twins could score anywhere close to this many runs. They went into last night hitting .220 and averaging 3.3 runs per game since the All-Star break. That languid offense, coupled with some implosive bullpen work, factored significantly in the Twins losing seven of eight and 11 of 14 going into last night.

If they are to contend at all, it will be because of the efforts of the starting staff, especially Johan Santana -- who opposes David Wells tonight -- and Brad Radke. Radke, was at his efficient, deceptive best last night (7 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 8 Ks).

Johnny Damon tripled off the wall in right-center to lead off the game and would be the only Sox player to reach third base. Edgar Renteria singled to center in the sixth. Manny Ramirez singled to left to lead off the seventh and Mueller singled to left with two outs in the inning. But that was it for Boston -- four hits off Radke in seven innings.

Damon remained stranded at third in the first thanks to some masterful work by Radke. He struck out Renteria swinging, walked David Ortiz, then fanned Ramirez (looking) and Jason Varitek (swinging).

Ramirez, who left Wednesday's game bleeding and with blurred vision, then sat out Thursday, fanned looking at an 0-2 pitch with Damon 90 feet away. Ramirez vehemently disagreed with home plate umpire Tim Timmons's strike zone, clearly mouthing, ''That's outside, that's outside, that's outside," before retreating to the dugout.