The Red Sox head to Minnesota to take on the Twins for the second time this month (and the final time this season) for a three-game weekend set starting on Friday night. The second-place Red Sox look to continue to make up ground in the AL East, starting the day one game behind the 25-16 Yankees.

May hasn’t been kind to the Red Sox, who have lost nine of their 15 games this month. But the Sox managed to take their last series, against Tampa Bay, thanks to some late-inning heroics Thursday from third baseman Will Middlebrooks, who hit a bases-loaded double in the ninth inning to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 victory. The Red Sox had dropped their previous three series prior to taking two of the three games from the Rays.

The Twins may be in fourth place in the American League Central, but they are only one game under .500 and three games behind the first-place Tigers and Indians. The club is an even 7-7 in May, dropping two of three to the last-place White Sox in their last series. The team’s decent start is especially surprising given the performance of its starting rotation. The Twins starters have the second-highest ERA in the majors at 5.30, second (but more than a point lower) than the Astros.

The Sox and Twins met earlier this month at Fenway. The Twins outscored Boston 31-18 in the four-game set and won three of the games. The Twins have had their way with the Red Sox on Boston’s home turf, sweeping their only series there in 2012, but the Sox fared well in Minnesota in 2012, sweeping a three-game series last April.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Friday: Clay Buchholz (6-0, 1.69) vs. Vance Worley (1-4, 7.15)
Saturday: Ryan Dempster (2-4, 3.75) vs. Scott Diamond (3-3, 4.08)
Sunday: John Lackey (1-4, 4.05) vs. Pedro Hernandez (2-0, 5.79)

WHO’S HOT: RED SOX

• Even though he’s batting .211 on the season and his OBP isn’t much higher, Middlebrooks seems to be heating up as of last. His go-ahead three-run double in the ninth inning off of Rays closer Fernando Rodney on Thursday night was his first hit in the seventh inning of a game or later, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. That double was his seventh extra-base hit in as many games, and he hit .296 over that span.

• If there’s one Red Sox hitter who has been consistently good at the plate this season, it’s Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia is riding an eight-game hitting streak and has seven multi-hit games this month. The second baseman is leading the team in batting average (.340), OBP (.428), walks (24) and runs scored (25).
WHO’S HOT: TWINS

• First baseman Justin Morneau has been on a streak at the plate, batting .386/.400/.491 in the month of May. Morneau has hits in 11 straight games and has a hit in every game but one this month, including seven multi-hit games. Morneau leads the team with 28 RBIs, 10 more than runner-up Josh Willingham.

• Oswaldo Arcia had a huge series when Minnesota visited Boston earlier this month, going 7-for-13 with two doubles, a triple and his third career home run. The rookie has looked good at the plate all month long, batting .340 over his last 12 games with six extra-base hits.

WHO’S NOT: RED SOX

• Mike Napoli has cooled down considerably after his hot start to the season. The first baseman is 8-for-37 of late, driving in only three runs in his last 10 games. Napoli still is hitting .261 on the season with 34 RBI and leads the league in doubles with 18.

• Jonny Gomes did hit a monster grand slam and drove in five runs in a 15-8 loss to the Twins back on May 8 but otherwise has not looked good at the plate this month. Gomes is batting .179 in May and .188 overall, with two home runs and eight RBIs in 69 at-bats.

WHO’S NOT: TWINS

• Willingham has been scuffling all season, but the last 13 games have been especially trying for the outfielder. Willingham hasn’t hit a home run since April 29, going 50 at-bats without a round-tripper. He has only three extra-base hits and five RBIs over that span. Although Willingham is only hitting .205 on the season, he’s been patient at the plate, drawing 25 walks and pushing his OBP to .378.

• Reliever Josh Roenicke had been lights out in the month of April, allowing only two runs in 12 innings. But his last few appearances have not been as dominant. Roenicke has given up six earned runs and eight hits over his last six games (7 2/3 innings pitched), ballooning his ERA to 3.66 after pitching to the tune of a 1.50 ERA in April.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — At the time, it seemed like an inconsequential play that proved unnecessarily costly. With the Red Sox trailing, 3-1, in the bottom of the eighth, Shane Victorino chased down a blast from Rays catcher Jose Lobaton, hauling the ball in as he crashed squarely into the fence in right-center.

Will Middlebrooks hit a 3-run double in the top of the 9th inning to power the Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Rays tonight. He joined Joe & Dave after the final call live from the dugout.

[0:00:04] ... biggest maybe the biggest that question at this season -- this. The bases loaded got here last strike you hit a changeup for the bases for double after a hundred miles an hour fastball awful you ...
[0:00:43] ... did their playing -- shallow trying to you know -- Keep that run score from second so that helped too that could really get a good angle on him go for him. Well how are you ...
[0:02:19] ... -- lining a 12 changeup for a three run double in the ninth inning to win it for the Red Sox order three -- ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Just over a week ago, Will Middlebrooks took a shot to the ribs. On Thursday night, he delivered one to the Rays.

With the Red Sox trailing, 3-1, in the top of the ninth, the bases loaded and his team down to its final strike, Middlebrooks laced a 1-2 changeup from Rays closer Fernando Rodney into the gap in right-center. The ball scooted all the way to the wall in left-center, allowing all three runs to score.

It was a mammoth hit, turning a 3-1 deficit and a fourth consecutive series loss into a 4-3 advantage that permitted the Sox to leave Tampa Bay with its first series victory in two weeks. The hit represented something of a landmark for Middlebrooks, as it was the first of his career to give the Red Sox a lead in the seventh inning or later.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

– Middlebrooks continues to impact the baseball since returning from his injury to the ribs. In seven games back, all eight of his hits have been for extra bases, with seven doubles and a homer in that span. He’s hitting .296/.321/.667 in that stretch.

On Thursday, not only did he smash the game-winning hit, but he also continued to show evidence of an improved overall approach both in that at-bat — when he spit on a 100 mph fastball on which Rodney just missed the strike zone on an 0-2 count, then jumped on a changeup — and in a previous one where he negotiated his first walk since May 2.

– Junichi Tazawa worked a pair of scoreless innings to earn his third win of the year. He received an assist from outfielder Shane Victorino in keeping the Rays off the board in the eighth, but in the ninth, he worked around a pair of singles to shut the door.

– Thursday represented a considerable step forward for Felix Doubront. Though the left-hander lived dangerously for much of his outing, mostly due to command issues that resulted in a career-high six walks, he navigated carefully around trouble and baserunners. Though he gave up a solo homer to Ryan Roberts in the second, he stranded seven runners and held Tampa Bay hitless in five plate appearances with runners in scoring position, allowing him to work five-plus innings in which he allowed just one run on three hits.

Perhaps more importantly than the line, though, he showed improved power on his pitches. He showed a slight bump in velocity, sitting at 90-92 mph with his fastball for most of the night, and he also had a curveball that at times proved an outstanding pitch with sharp break. (At others, it became loopy and couldn’t find the strike zone.) While pitch inefficiency (104 pitches in 5-plus innings) and control (54 of 104 pitches for strikes — 52 percent) were both issues, he had the arsenal to compete, as evidenced by his seven strikeouts. Meanwhile, his one run allowed was his lowest yield of the season, while his three hits matched a season best.

– David Ortiz erased an early Red Sox deficit by lining an RBI single off the fence in right, the ball hit so hard that he could not advance. The hit was the third in as many games for Ortiz with runners in scoring position during the Tampa Bay series. He went 1-for-3 with a walk.

– Shane Victorino interrupted what had been an early breeze through the Sox lineup for Rays starter Alex Cobb, who retired the first 10 batters he faced. Victorino snapped an 0-for-11 stretch by ripping a double to right that catalyzed a run-scoring rally. The switch-hitter continues to demonstrate strong plate appearances from the left side of the plate. After his 1-for-4 night, he’s hitting .316 with a .771 OPS against righties.

Victorino also made a pair of outstanding catches in right field to rob the Rays of extra bases, slamming into the wall while grabbing a Jose Lobaton smash and then tracking down a Desmond Jennings drive to right with an over-the-shoulder catch on the warning track. However, he ended up having to leave the game in favor of a defensive replacement prior to the bottom of the ninth.

– Dustin Pedroia went 1-for-3 with a single and walk, extending his hitting streak to eight games.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

– Walks! Doubront’s six free passes not only represented a career-high for him; they also matched a season-high by any Red Sox starter. The eight total walks issued by Sox pitchers likewise matched a season-high.

– While the Sox entrust their highest leverage situations against left-handers to Andrew Miller, he’s struggled in that capacity. Opposing lefties are now 8-for-24 against him.

– A subtle defensive miscue contributed to what nearly amounted to a game-winning rally for the Rays (before the Sox’ three-run ninth-inning rally). Mortensen appeared to have Matt Joyce picked off of first base, but Mike Napoli — who was playing in front of the bag to protect against a possible bunt — had just enough of a struggle with his footwork that he was late getting back to the bag and wasn’t in position to apply a tag to the runner as he dove back into first. Joyce ended up scoring as the first of two runs in the sixth, and the Sox missed out on a potentially inning-changing out.

– Napoli also went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. He’s whiffed in 33.3 percent of his plate appearances this year, ranking in the top five in the AL in that ignominious category. However, he did negotiate a walk — his 12th of the year.

– Jacoby Ellsbury went 0-for-5, and is now hitting .188 with a .512 OPS in May.