The Minnesota Twins flexed their muscle at the plate and had a nice start on the mound as they clinched the series against the Chicago White Sox.
The Minnesota Twins took home another victory against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday using the same formula that helped them get off to a hot start earlier in the season. With three home runs at the plate and a strong outing by starter Jake Odorizzi, the Twins were able to pounce on the White Sox early and cruise to an 8-2 win at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The biggest performance at the plate came from the bat of Jonathan Schoop. After Jose Abreu clocked an RBI double to give the White Sox an early lead, Schoop opened the scoring for the Twins with his 20th home run of the season, a three-run shot that put the Twins ahead 3-1 after two innings.
The Twins would add onto their lead in the top of the third in strange fashion as they scored a pair of runs on just one hit. Mitch Garver was hit by a pitch before Jorge Polanco doubled and Ross Detwiler intentionally walked Nelson Cruz to load the bases. After Eddie Rosario drove in a run on a ground out to drive in Garver, Tim Anderson‘s throwing error on a fielder’s choice would allow Polanco to score and give the Twins a 5-1 lead.
That cushion would be great for Odorizzi, who calmed down after allowing the double to Abreu in the first inning. The right-hander would produce a quality start for the Twins going six innings with two runs on five hits, two walks and eight strikeouts before turning things over to the bullpen.
After Trevor May struck out the side in the seventh inning, Schoop would add more insurance with his second homer of the night, a solo bomb that would extend the lead. Garver would follow up with a two-run homer later in the inning for his 24th of the season and Cody Stashak would finish off Chicago over the final two innings to preserve the victory.
The Twins will now look for the series sweep as they look to get Jose Berrios right on Thursday afternoon. Berrios owns an 8.44 ERA during the month of August, but will face Dylan Cease, who has been prone to big innings all season long. Thursday’s game is scheduled for a 12:10 p.m. CT first pitch.