The Red Sox’ Kevin Youkilis (20) greets Dustin Pedroia after Pedroia scored on Manny Ramirez’s eighth-inning single.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

BOSTON — When the Sox were in New York over the weekend, Boston manager Terry Francona admitted that Manny Ramirez is having trouble catching up to fastballs.

He was taking them, too, witness his three-fastballs-and-sit-down at-bat against Mariano Rivera as a pinch hitter Sunday night.

The Twins’ scouting staff noticed Ramirez’s inability to catch up to fastballs.

So last night, Twins starting pitcher Scott Baker pounded Ramirez with fastballs. And reliever Brian Bass did the same thing.

The Twins won the first three battles for the most part, but Manny won the war and the game for the Sox, getting solid wood on one eighth-inning fastball for an RBI single that put the Sox on top, 1-0.

Ramirez saw 23 pitches in his four at-bats, and 20 were fastballs, including a 95-mph heater on the outer half of the plate from Bass that the Sox designated hitter laced through the hole on the right side, scoring Dustin Pedroia from third.

Indeed, it was curious that the Twins would pitch to Ramirez in such a spot, but manager Ron Gardenhire was convinced they could get him out on fastballs.

That strategy was evident early against Ramirez, who was batting only .179 (12 for 67) with two doubles, one homer and a mere five RBI over his last 21 games.

In the second inning, Baker’s first four pitches were fastballs in the 91-94 mph, with Ramirez fouling two of them back before smacking a slider back at Baker for an out.

In the fourth inning, again Baker’s first four pitches were fastballs from 91-92 mph, and Ramirez was only able to foul a couple back. Generally, when Manny is being Manny in the batter’s box, the opposing pitcher will think twice about throwing a fastball in such a situation, preferring the risk of walking him with a slider or curveball or changeup to giving him a fastball he could hit out of the park.

Baker, though, went with a 90-mph fastball over the plate, a little on the inner half.

Instead of powering through it, Ramirez jammed himself.

He was able to muscle a single into center, but basically he was beaten on a 90-mph fastball, a pitch Ramirez has made a living of crushing in the past.

There was more heat from Baker to Ramirez in the sixth. Baker threw five pitches in the at-bat, all fastballs, ultimately whipping a 95-mph sizzler over the outside corner past Ramirez, who waved at the 2-and-2 pitch and missed it badly.

Then came the eighth. Pedroia at third, one out and it was still 0-0. Mike Lowell, a double-play guy, was on-deck. But Gardenhire had Bass go after Ramirez.

Bass threw six pitches to Ramirez, all fastballs either 94 or 95. Ramirez weakly fouled three off at the plate, fastballs that were buried under his hands. The 2-and-2 fastball was middle-away, and Ramirez got the barrel of the bat on the ball for his hard-hit game-winning single.

Gardenhire made it clear he had no thought of walking Ramirez in the eighth.

“How’s Manny been swinging lately?” asked Gardenhire. “He’s such a good hitter, but to put another runner on base in this ballpark and pitch to Lowell, I don’t know about that. [Bass] was working pretty good with Manny inside before he left a pitch over the middle of the plate.”

skrasner@projo.com