MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Jason Kubel homered again and Justin Morneau hit a grand slam, sparking the suddenly powerful Minnesota Twins to an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Kubel, whose grand slam gave the Twins a 5-2 win in the 12th inning the night before, hit a two-run shot in the second off Matt Clement (5-5). Morneau’s slam in the sixth was the sixth of the season for Minnesota and the fourth in eight days. The team record is eight, set in 1961.

This came from a team that hasn’t had a player hit 30 home runs since 1987, by far the longest drought in the majors. Morneau, who has 15 homers and 51 RBIs, is on pace to end that streak.

Brad Radke (5-7) was the beneficiary, allowing five hits, two walks and Coco Crisp’s home run in six innings while striking out three. He gave up less than four runs for only the fourth time in his 14 starts.

Radke survived what could have been a messy first, his Achilles’ heel of innings, by getting Trot Nixon to pop up to shortstop and retiring Jason Varitek on a long fly to right.

The Twins won for the fifth time in six games and moved into a tie for third place in the AL Central with Cleveland, 11 games behind Detroit. The Red Sox, who lost their third straight, dropped to second in the AL East, one game behind the Yankees.

After Torii Hunter drew a walk to start the second, Kubel crushed a 2-0 pitch into the upper deck above right field. In his next at-bat, Kubel – who missed all of last year due to a severely torn-up knee – hit a fly to center that Crisp caught with his back pressed against the wall.

Clement, in the middle of what is so far his worst of eight major league seasons, could’ve been in a much bigger hole were it not for Minnesota’s familiar overeagerness.

With one out and the bases loaded in the third, all on walks, Hunter hit the first pitch he faced into a 5-4-3 double play. In the next fourth, with one out and runners at second and third, Nick Punto popped the first pitch he saw to second base. Joe Mauer’s sharp drive was picked gracefully on one hop by second baseman Mark Loretta to end the inning.

The Twins, though, were far more patient in many other plate appearances. They drew 10 walks, one intentional, without a strikeout. Michael Cuddyer’s bases-loaded walk against Jermaine Van Buren forced in a run in the sixth, and Morneau followed with his opposite-field drive against Manny Delcarmen that made it 8-1 Minnesota.

An All-Star last year whose season soured after the break, Clement is struggling again – having posted quality starts of six innings or more and three runs or less in only four of 12 outings, none consecutive.

Pulled with runners at first and second and two outs in the fifth, Clement – who signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract before the 2005 season – tied a season high with six walks. Without a strikeout, Clement allowed three runs, five hits and hit a batter.

That came in the fourth, when scuffling designated hitter Rondell White was plunked in the chest. He scored on Luis Castillo’s double off the right-field wall to make it 3-0.

Notes: A couple of customers interrupted the top of the eighth inning, running all over the field before their capture. One of the men managed to high-five Hunter and sprint around the bases. After a headfirst slide into home, the Boston bat boy slammed him to the turf with a perfect open-field tackle and pinned him down until security arrived. … Morneau is 12-for-26 with four homers and 13 RBIs in his last six games. … Crisp batted eighth, with Kevin Youkilis moving back into the leadoff spot. Manager Terry Francona said he plans to try that arrangement for a while.

AP-ES-06-14-06 2321EDT