Minnesota Twins postgame support: Twins hit five home runs in rout of White Sox

The Minnesota Twins looked like themselves on Saturday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox, hitting five home runs in a 10-3 victory.

For those of you wondering if the Minnesota Twins were going to fade from obscurity, games like the one they had on Saturday afternoon paint a different picture. Coming off a disappointing opener against the Chicago White Sox on Friday, the Twins launched five home runs and picked up a 10-3 victory in the second game of the series.

With the win, the Twins expanded their lead in the American League Central to 8 1/2 games over the Cleveland Indians, who were well on their way to falling to the Baltimore Orioles for the second straight night. With the Twins slowly regaining their health, games like these could become the norm in the near future.

Twin Takeaways – The Good

The Twins got some good news prior to the first pitch as Marwin Gonzalez and Byron Buxton were both activated from the injured list. With the returns to the starting lineup, the Twins were able to field a normal outfield and that helped starter Michael Pineda have a great day on the mound.

Pineda had one of his best starts of the season on Saturday, as he went six innings, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight White Sox. The start was another much needed boost for the bullpen who looked well rested and was able to slam the door with a comfortable lead.

The Twins built their massive advantage in a fashion that has become their trademark this season with five home runs. Max Kepler and Nelson Cruz both hit two home runs and Miguel Sano homered for the second consecutive game after hitting two on Friday night. A ground out by Buxton in the second inning drove in Jonathan Schoop and a Cruz RBI single in the seventh rounded out the scoring for Minnesota.

Twin Takeaways – The Bad

There wasn’t too much to be upset about during this game and anything that could be considered bad is almost nitpicking. Neither Buxton or Gonzalez recorded a hit in their return to the lineup, but their availability was enough to forgive the rust off the injured list.

Other than that, the bullpen had some weak moments, as Trevor May have an error that would lead to a run in the seventh and Blake Parker would give up a home run to Eloy Jimenez in the ninth. Again, neither mattered in a 10-3 game, but won’t do much to calm the fears of fans who want the bullpen to be addressed.

Up Next

The Twins will wrap up their three-game series with the White Sox tomorrow afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. The Twins were originally scheduled to throw Kyle Gibson on the mound, but after an appearance in the 18-inning marathon against the Rays on Thursday, Lewis Thorpe will make his major league debut instead. Thorpe has gone 3-4 with a 5.71 ERA at Triple-A Rochester this season.

Opposing Thorpe will be Lucas Giolito, who is enjoying a breakout season for the White Sox. Giolito has gone 10-2 with a 2.87 ERA this season for Chicago and is coming off a start in which he gave up three runs in a loss to the Boston Red Sox.