MINNEAPOLIS -- Another win, another smoky postgame clubhouse for the Minnesota Twins. One of baseball's great stories over the first seven weeks of the season kept it going Tuesday in a 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox at soggy Target Field.

For the Twins, who celebrate each victory with a dance and laser-light show in the clubhouse, the routine has become a bit of a habit; the win was Minnesota's fourth straight and sixth in its last seven games and improved the Twins to a major-league best 16-6 at home this season. Combined with Kansas City's loss to the New York Yankees earlier in the evening, the Twins are one game back of the Royals for first place in the American League Central Division race with the month of May winding to a close this weekend.

Every night, it's been a new hero for the Twins. On Tuesday, it was right-hander Mike Pelfrey who earned his fourth victory after tossing seven innings of one-run ball. Pelfrey wasn't lights out, but got better as the game wore on, retiring the Red Sox in order on just six pitches in his seventh and final inning of work.

Pelfrey allowed just the one run on five hits and a walk and will become just the third Twins starter in the last 20 years to enter the month of June with an ERA under 3.00 (at least five starts).

"There was a time when I didn't think I was going to get through five (innings)," Pelfrey said. "I turn around and there are people warming up out there. But luckily (Twins manager Paul Molitor) kept me in and I did a good job with my offspeed pitches the last two innings."

Pelfrey didn't have a ton of run support Tuesday, thanks to another stellar outing from Red Sox righty Clay Buchholz, who surrendered a pair of early runs then got locked in. For Buchholz, it was another tough-luck loss, allowing just two runs on seven hits and a walk in 7 1/3 innings of work. Buchholz has now allowed two runs or less and lasted at least 7 1/3 innings in each of his last three starts. The Red Sox have provided a combined three runs of support in those games, all losses.

"That happens," Buchholz said. "I've gotten a lot of wins when I've given up four, five, six runs and the team has found a way to come back. It will turn around."

The Twins strung together three doubles in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead. Second baseman Brian Dozier led off the game with a two-base hit into the left-field corner and scored three batters later on a double by third baseman Trevor Plouffe. Catcher Kurt Suzuki followed with a double of his own, knocking in Plouffe.

"It's a situation where you don't try and get too big," Plouffe said. "A base hit will do the job. He threw that first pitch cutter and I wanted to stay aggressive to the fastball. He tried to come in with a two-seamer but left it out over the plate."

Boston got a run back in the next half inning after some shaky outfield defense by the Twins. Designated hitter David Ortiz hit a ball that appeared catchable for Twins left fielder Eduardo Escobar. But instead of tracking the ball to the wall, Escobar turned and let it bounce off the wall as Ortiz cruised into second with a one-out double.

First baseman Mike Napoli followed with a bloop single to center, scoring Ortiz to make it 2-1.

"Mike was laboring there a bit in the second," Molitor said. "It was one of those games where you look at his pitches and wonder how far it's going to go. But like a lot of guys have been doing in that rotation, he found another gear."

The Twins had the bases loaded with one out in the fourth against Buchholz and runners on the corners with two away in the fifth, but could not extend their lead.

Boston loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth against the Twins' bullpen, but closer Glen Perkins entered and got Red Sox left fielder Hanley Ramirez to line out to right field. Perkins followed with a perfect ninth for his