Trevor Larnach had two hits and Max Kepler provided a go-ahead RBI sacrifice fly in the ninth inning as the visiting Minnesota Twins edged the Chicago White Sox 6-5 on Tuesday to stretch their winning streak to nine games.
Minnesota defeated the White Sox for the sixth time during the streak. Jhoan Duran, who was activated from the injured list before the game after recovering from an oblique injury, earned the save in his season debut.
Tommy Pham, Gavin Sheets, Andrew Vaughn, and Danny Mendick had two hits each for the White Sox.
Caleb Thielbar (1-1) threw two pitches, retired two batters and got the victory.
Mendick smacked a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give Chicago a 4-2 lead. Minnesota halved the deficit in the sixth as Ryan Jeffers stole home on the back end of a double steal.
Consecutive two-out RBI singles from Carlos Correa and Larnach gave the Twins a 5-4 advantage in the top of the eighth.
Andrew Benintendi answered with a game-tying solo homer for the White Sox in the bottom half, but Chicago’s bullpen struggles continued as Michael Kopech (0-3) allowed Kepler’s sacrifice fly. Byron Buxton, who walked to lead off the inning, scored on the play.
Eloy Jimenez’s third-inning RBI single put the White Sox ahead 1-0. Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson yielded four hits in the inning but only one run. A strong relay and tag play earlier in the frame erased Chicago’s Martin Maldonado at the plate as he tried to score from first base on Pham’s double.
Chicago added an unearned run in the fourth before Minnesota tied the game at 2 in the fifth, rallying after Larnach notched the team’s first hit with a leadoff single. Willi Castro hit an RBI triple and scored on Kyle Farmer’s double one batter later.
Woods Richardson yielded two runs (one earned) and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
Chicago starter Michael Soroka allowed two runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three.
Carlos Santana extended his hitting streak to six games as Minnesota won a ninth straight game for the first time since June 2008.
–Field Level Media
