Jose Miranda and Willi Castro had three hits apiece and Alex Kirilloff homered as the Minnesota Twins defeated the host Chicago White Sox 10-5 on Wednesday afternoon, extending their winning streak to 10 games.
Minnesota has earned seven victories against the White Sox in its current tear. The latest three in Chicago all required comebacks.
Tommy Pham homered, doubled and drove in two runs, and Robbie Grossman doubled twice to keep Chicago afloat before bullpen woes took a toll. The Twins scored six runs in the seventh inning or later.
White Sox pitching issued seven walks, including three when reliever Steven Wilson walked the bases loaded with two out in the sixth. Chicago appeared to escape the jam when Dominic Leone entered the game, but shortstop Paul DeJong missed Castro’s grounder, allowing two runs to score to tie the game at 4.
Minnesota took a 6-4 lead in the seventh behind consecutive RBI singles from Max Kepler and Miranda, who entered the game after Byron Buxton left with right knee soreness. Korey Lee hit a solo home run in the bottom half to draw the White Sox within 6-5.
Ryan Jeffers’ pinch-hit, two-run double punctuated the Twins’ four-run ninth. His two RBIs matched Miranda for the team high.
Chicago collected two runs and three hits against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober in the first inning. Pham drove home a run with a double and scored on Andrew Vaughn’s RBI single two batters later.
Pham reached Ober for his first home run with the White Sox in the third. The two-out solo shot to left center gave him homers with eight teams, snapping a tie with Minnesota’s Carlos Santana for most among active major leaguers.
Ober (3-1) worked six innings, allowing four runs and six hits while striking out three.
Leone (0-1) took the loss after yielding two runs in 2/3 of an inning with two walks and two strikeouts.
White Sox starter Chris Flexen spaced two runs and four hits in five innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
Home plate umpire James Hoye ejected White Sox catching coach Drew Butera in the first inning for arguing balls and strikes.
