With Boston leading, 2-1, and one out in the 12th, reliever Julian Tavarez comes unglued, eventually allowing a walk-off grand slam to Minnesota rookie Jason Kubel.

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 14, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twice, from the seventh inning on, the Red Sox last night had this one in their hands. Twice, it got away.

After surviving a dominant Johan Santana -- 13 strikeouts over eight innings -- the Red Sox pushed a run across in the 12th inning. But before they could secure a hard-earned extra-inning win to open their road trip, Julian Tavarez served up a grand slam to rookie Jason Kubel, handing the Minnesota Twins a 5-2 win at the Metrodome.

"In the second inning, I said we might have to win this one 1-0," recounted Terry Francona. "And we almost did."

Jason Varitek's solo homer off Santana was the only damage the Sox could manage against the lefty ace.

"You knew from Jump Street that (Santana) was on," said Curt Schilling, who matched Santana for effectiveness if not strikeouts. "We knew he was going to have to make a mistake for us to win. And he did."

But it didn't last. In the bottom of the seventh, Michael Cuddyer took Schilling deep, too, evening the game at 1-1.

After that, it was bullpen battle, with Jonathan Papelbon contributing two scoreless innings and Mike Timlin, off the disabled list hours earlier, pitching a scoreless 11th.

In the 12th, the Sox loaded the bases off Jesse Crain with one out. Alex Gonzalez, who had three hits earlier, hit a topper up the middle that Nick Punto gloved behind second. Flipping the ball backhanded to second baseman Luis Castillo, the Twins forced Trot Nixon at second.

But Castillo's relay to first wasn't in time to nab Gonzalez and Mike Lowell crossed the plate with the go-ahead run.

The Sox seemed poised to win their first extra-inning game of the year, but with one out in the bottom of the 12th, Tavarez invited trouble by hitting Cuddyer.

"Not that the game was over," said Francona, "but that's not what you want to do in that situation."

A ground-rule double by Justin Morneau sent Cuddyer to third and the Sox elected to walk Torii Hunter with first base open. With a full count, Kubel than hit a deep fly to right that carried into the bleachers.

"We got the run, but we couldn't hold them down," lamented Francona.

Over his last five appearances, Tavarez is 0-2 with an 11.37 E.R.A., having given up seven hits, including two homers, in his last 6 1/3 innings.

Through 6 2/3 innings last night, Santana had piled up 13 strikeouts -- the most by an opposing pitcher against the Sox this season and the most since Mike Mussina struck out 15 in 2000 -- and had allowed just two hits, none since the third inning.

"He was on tonight," sighed David Ortiz

But Varitek lined a pitch to left-center that just cleared the fence for his seventh homer of the season and second in his last four games.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Twins countered with a solo homer of their own in the home half of the inning. Schilling had retired five in a row when Cuddyer lofted a blast to center, tying the game at 1-1. It was the 14th homer allowed by Schilling this season, and like the previous 13, this one, too, came on the road.

Though not as overpowering as Santana, Schilling matched him inning for inning and, because he wasn't piling up strikeouts, was more efficient with his pitch count.

"A grinding game," said Schilling, who failed in his bid to become the American League's first 10-game winner.

The Twins put the leadoff man on base in each of the first two innings, but both times Schilling got a double play to get himself out of trouble.

After getting Hunter on the second double play, in fact, Schilling began a stretch that saw him retire eight in a row and 15-of-16.

The only baserunner against Schilling between the third and sixth innings was Hunter, who singled to center with one out and stole second, but then was nabbed trying to swipe third as part of an inning-ending double play.

The night began in inauspicious fashion for the Sox when Santana fanned the first three hitters of the night -- Coco Crisp, Loretta and Ortiz.

In fact, after Santana followed that up by striking out Ramirez and Varitek, it felt like a moral victory of sorts when Mike Lowell made contact, even if it resulted in a routine flyout to center.

The Sox didn't collect their first hit off Santana until one out in the third when Nixon lined an opposite-field double to left, just beyond the diving try of Ford.

A sharp single to left by Alex Gonzalez followed, but the ball was hit so sharply, third base coach Demarlo Hale had no choice but to hold Nixon at third.

Santana bore down, however, and got Crisp on strikes and ended the threat by getting Loretta to pop meekly to short.

smcadam@projo.com / (401) 277-7340