Boston — The Red Sox's torrid hitting pace continued, but only for one inning.

Boston got a leadoff home run for the second straight night from Mookie Betts, but didn't score again as Minnesota's Kyle Gibson held the Red Sox to a pair of hits over eight innings and the Twins held on for a 2-1 win Friday night.

Betts' 20th homer and a one-out single by Xander Bogaerts were Boston's only hits until the Red Sox threatened in the bottom of the ninth. After getting 33 hits in their previous two games, 17 of them Thursday in a 13-2 rout of the Twins, the Red Sox had just four hits Friday.

"Always looking forward to something happening. It just doesn't work out all the time," said David Ortiz, who grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the ninth.

Brian Dozier hit a solo home run for the Twins in the second inning and Miguel Sano added an RBI single in the sixth. It was all the scoring Minnesota needed as Gibson (3-6) did the rest.

Closer Brandon Kintzler got his seventh save, preserving the lead in a wild bottom half of the ninth. Michael Martinez and Dustin Pedroia started the inning with consecutive singles and Bogaerts walked to load the bases with nobody out and Ortiz coming up next.

Kintzler got Ortiz to ground into a double play, and then Hanley Ramirez flew out to right to end the game and Boston's three-game winning streak.

"Stage was set. Golden opportunity," manager John Farrell said. "We had quality at-bats in that ninth inning. Up until that point, Gibson was very good. Changed speeds, good sinker. Unable to really mount any kind of threat throughout the first eight innings."

Eduardo Rodriguez (2-4) allowed two runs on six hits and struck out eight and walked one over 5 1-3 innings for Boston. Joe Mauer was the only batter Rodriguez walked, reaching with one out in the sixth before Heath Hembree took over for the Red Sox.

Hembree walked Dozier, and then Sano doubled to score Mauer with what would be the winning run.

After Bogaerts' single in the first, Boston didn't get another man on base until Gibson walked Brock Holt to lead off the sixth. Dozier got Holt with a diving stop on a hard shot up the middle and nearly doubled up Michael Martinez at first. Gibson and the Twins got right out of the threat when Pedroia grounded into a double play.

Missing Mookie

Betts did not take the field with the Red Sox in the top of the fifth. Martinez took over in right field and the Red Sox announced a few minutes later that Betts had left the game with soreness in his right knee.

Betts, an All-Star Game starter, leads the Red Sox with 127 hits and is second on the club with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs. He was considered day-to-day and manager John Farrell wasn't sure when he could return to the lineup.

"We wouldn't take any risks with Mookie, certainly," Farrell said.

Good Gibson

Ortiz went 0 for 4 Friday, one night after getting three hits — including a home run — and driving in four runs. He had a quick response when asked what Gibson was throwing that made him so effective.

"I don't know but he should keep on throwing it the rest of the season," Ortiz said. "If the game would have been that easy, it wouldn't be the way it is. They know how to get a hitter out. They know how to get that done. It's not always going to work in our way. Sometimes it's going to work in their way, too."

Trainer's room

Twins: C Kurt Suzuki was not in the starting lineup for the Twins, getting some rest and avoiding the heat. The temperature at gametime was 92 degrees. Manager Paul Molitor said Suzuki should return Saturday.

Red Sox: Betts left the game in the fifth inning with soreness in his right knee. RHP Junichi Tazawa (right shoulder impingement) returned to the roster after being activated from the 15-day DL.

Up next

Twins: RHP Ricky Nolasco (4-8, 5.02) gets his team-high 20th start. Nolasco also shares the team lead for losses, picking up his eighth Monday despite holding Detroit to one run on three hits and three walks in six innings.

Red Sox: LHP David Price (9-7, 4.36) gets his first start since taking the loss Sunday when the Yankees ended Boston's six-game winning streak. Price struck out just one batter in 5 2-3 innings, ending a string of three straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts.