MINNEAPOLIS — The veteran Josh Beckett outdueled a young challenger with a little help from his power-hitting catcher, stopping a two-game Boston losing streak and sending the Red Sox to a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Twins Thursday.

Beckett came out with guns blazing, striking out the first four Twins hitters with a barrage of fastballs. The fifth batter of the game, Joe Crede, took Beckett deep to left, but that was one of only three Twins hits off the Sox ace.

Beckett gave up only the one run, walked four, and struck out eight, to bring his ERA under 5.00 for the first time since April. He now stands at 4.60 with a 5-2 record.

"Felt good. Made some pitches when I needed to. Pitch to Crede went back to the middle, and he did what good hitters do," Beckett said.

Beckett got all the offense he needed from his catcher, Jason Varitek, who went deep twice to right-center off top Twins prospect Anthony Swarzak.

He might have had another chance — but he and manager Terry Francona were ejected in the seventh inning for arguing with home plate umpire Todd Tichenor. Twins catcher Mike Redmond and manager Ron Gardenhire were also ejected by Tichenor in the top of the inning.

Swarzak, a 23-year-old 2004 2nd round pick, had shut out the Brewers for seven innings in his major league debut last week. He wasn't as surgical as Beckett, but was nearly as effective. He allowed only five hits, walking four and striking out three.

"He pitched very well. Got ahead of hitters. If he continues to throw like he did against us, he's going to have great success in this league," said Jacoby Ellsbury, who saw his 22-game hit streak end, thanks largely to Swarzak's work.

Varitek was just too much for Swarzak, however. In the fifth, the pitcher served up Varitek's ninth home run of the season, a ball just over the wall in right-center. He stayed in the game, but Swarzek couldn't survive Varitek's second home run, a devastating blast that landed in the upper deck in right center. It was estimated at 427 feet.

"That's as good a contact as he's made . . . that was a beautiful swing," manager Terry Francona said of Varitek's second blast.

Swarzak hung around for one more batter, but was pulled in favor of reliever Jesse Crain after Jeff Bailey doubled.

Bailey scored on a Dustin Pedroia sacrifice fly, a close play at the plate that Tichenor called safe. Redmond disagreed with the call — quite forcefully — and he was quickly thrown out. Manager Gardenhire was ejected moments later, arguing the same case.

The Red Sox split the four-game series with the Twins, and now head to Toronto to face the reeling Blue Jays, who have lost nine straight. With the Yankees off, the Red Sox edged a half-game ahead of New York into first place.

It was perhaps fitting — or, at least, the proper karma — that Francona was ejected in what should be his last appearance in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which will be replaced with the outdoor Target Field in 2010. Before the game, Francona was sharing his feelings on the old dome, which he hated both as a player and a manager.

"I think this place stinks. Ballpark stinks. Balls are hitting [the] roof, speakers, it's awful," Francona said.

dbarbari@projo.com

Hours later, he was walking off the field for the last time, ejected. The Metrodome, it appears, doesn't like him very much either.