Thanks, White Sox!
This series couldn’t come at a better time for the Twins as they continued to take advantage of one of the worst teams in the league. After getting dominated and mounting a late comeback yesterday, the Twins got to starter Garret Crochet early and never looked back.
Christian Vázquez got the scoring started for Minnesota on a bloop hit single to right with runners at second and third, bringing in Carlos Santana. Willi Castro immediately followed with a three-run dong to give the home team a commanding 4-0 lead. No better way to celebrate your birthday than a no-doubter against a great pitcher.
Joe Ryan had another strong start, striking out the first three batters of the game with his newly-refined secondaries complimenting his typically great fastball. He gave up a couple of solo shots in the third after the Twins took the lead, and gave up a run when Vázquez threw to second on a double steal, allowing Braden Shewmake to swipe home, bring the South Siders within a run.
The Twins were able to add to their lead in the fifth, with hot (in the baseball sense) Max Kepler delivering clutch pinch-hit RBI single. Kepler eventually came around to score on a wild pitch, but the White Sox fate was already sealed. Matt Bowman, Brock Stewart, and Griffin Jax were perfect in innings 7-9, buzzing their way through Chicago’s lineup.
With the victory today, the Twins officially secured their first three-game win streak of the season and won their second series of the young season. They’ll have a chance to win their fourth straight when they take on the corpse of former All-Star Michael Soroka tomorrow afternoon.
STUDS
Willi Castro: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI on his birthday!
Christian Vázquez: 3-4, 1 RBI, 1 R
Max Kepler: 2-2, pinch hit RBI
Bullpen (Bowman, Stewart, Jax): 3 perfect innings
DUDS
No duds Twins win!!!!!
Comment of the game goes to our good friend sandwiches for tracking the most important stat of the season.