MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — Trevor Story homered and drove in five runs, and Connelly Early delivered the longest start of his young career as the Boston Red Sox snapped a two-game skid with a 9-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday at Target Field.

A crowd of 21,276 watched the Red Sox, who entered the day with the American League’s worst record, erupt for five runs in the third inning and never look back to salvage the finale of a three-game series. The game time was 2 hours, 41 minutes.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the third inning, transforming a tight contest into a comfortable Boston lead. After Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled and Roman Anthony walked to open the frame, Ceddanne Rafaela lined a single to load the bases with no outs. Masataka Yoshida then hit a grounder to second baseman Luke Keaschall, whose throwing error to first base allowed two runs to score, with Rafaela advancing to third and Yoshida taking second.

Story, who had been 1 for 7 in the first two games of the series, then stepped in and demolished a Simeon Woods Richardson offering to left-center field for a three-run homer. The blast, Story’s second of the season, gave Boston a commanding 5-1 lead and set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon.

That cushion was more than enough for Early (1-0). The rookie left-hander, in his eighth major league start, was efficient and effective. He limited the Twins to one run on two hits and two walks over six innings, striking out five. The only damage against him was a solo home run by Austin Martin in the first inning. Early’s performance provided much-needed stability for a Red Sox pitching staff and allowed his offense to build an insurmountable lead.

Boston continued to add on against the Twins’ bullpen. In the fifth, Jarren Duran scored on an Andruw Monasterio double, and Monasterio later came home on a sacrifice bunt by Connor Wong. An inning later, Story struck again, lacing a two-run double to right field that scored Anthony and Rafaela, pushing the Boston advantage to 9-1.

Story finished 2 for 4 with the homer, double and five RBIs. Monasterio added three of Boston’s 13 hits, going 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Twins, held to just three hits through eight innings, mounted a futile rally in the ninth against Boston reliever Garrett Whitlock. After a single by Tristan Gray and a walk to Matt Wallner, Brooks Lee delivered an RBI single. Ryan Kreidler then followed with a three-run homer to left field, his second of the year, to account for the final margin. Whitlock retired the next two batters to end the game.

Woods Richardson (0-3) took the loss for Minnesota, surrendering seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in five innings of work. He walked two and struck out one.

The victory improved Boston’s record to 7-11, while the Twins fell to 11-8. The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 7-4 Twins victory, though their ELO system gave Boston a 55.4% probability to win. The combined 14 runs went well over the posted over/under line of 8.

Boston’s offense broke out after being shut out 6-0 on Tuesday and will look to carry that momentum into a four-game home series against the Detroit Tigers beginning Friday. The Twins, after taking two of three from the Red Sox, will welcome the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game weekend set starting Friday.