Twins Topple White Sox in Ten Innings

Vance Worley put in his best effort as a member of the Twins to earn a no decision on Saturday. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY SportsOn a day when the Windy City stood true to its name, the Twins braved yet another cold-weather game to beat their division rivals, 2-1, and get back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 9. Vance Worley rebounded from his dreadful outing against the Mets and threw seven strong innings; allowing only one run and striking out seven. Chicago’s lone run came off an Alejandro De Aza solo shot in the first, but after that, Vanimal and a combination of four relievers were able to blank the pale hose for the duration and secure the Twins’ third straight victory. Glen Perkins was filthy in the ninth yet again and earned his fourth save in as many opportunities.

Minnesota tied the game in the third inning when Josh Willingham singled to score Brian Dozier from second base. The Twins had another scoring opportunity in the fifth inning, when Justin Morneau stepped in with two outs and two on, but his scorching drive was snared by second baseman, Jeff Keppinger, to preserve the 1-1 tie. The south-side fans were forced to suffer in the cold a little longer when the game moved to extra innings, but it didn’t last long. Ryan Doumit doubled to lead-off the tenth, and thanks to heady base running, was able to score on an infield hit by Eduardo Escobar and subsequent fielding error by Alexei Ramirez. After that, it was lights out for Perkins in the bottom half, and the Twins now find themselves at 7-7 and only a 1/2 game back of the Royals (8-7) and Tigers (9-8) in the AL Central.

With the loss, the White Sox fell to 7-10 and have now dropped seven of their last ten. The two teams will meet again in the series finale tomorrow at 1:10 CST. Scott Diamond (0-1) makes his second start of the season for Minnesota versus Chicago’s struggling Gavin Floyd (0-3). A make-up date for Friday’s game has yet to be determined.