The Twins started off their three-game series against the White Sox with a 5-3 win on Monday evening.
With Cleveland having Monday off, Minnesota picked up a half-game in the Central Division and now lead the Indians by five games.
Jose Berrios got off to a shaky start once again, allowing runs in the first and second inning. Luckily the offense was able to bail him out in the bottom of the second with a Jorge Polanco sacrifice fly as well as an RBI from Nelson Cruz.
Then in the fifth inning, Mitch Garver was able to put the Twins ahead for good with an RBI double, scoring Polanco.
McDouble with extra #GarvSauce. pic.twitter.com/WZw51D8yVN
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 17, 2019
Garver finished the day going 2-for-3 and improved his OPS to 1.004 on the season. Since 1961, only five catchers in MLB history have posted an OPS over 1.000 in a season and the last to do it was Joe Mauer in 2009 when he won American League MVP award.
The Twins would scratch across two more runs in the sixth with an RBI single from Luis Arraez and never looked back.
After running into trouble early, Berrios settled in, allowing two hits through the next five innings before being lifted in the eighth. All in all, Berrios went 7.1 innings, allowing just two runs and struck out eight batters.
It was an encouraging start for Berrios, who’s pitched into the seventh inning in his past two starts. The Twins will need these kind of performances if they’re going to compete in the postseason.
Tyler Duffey, Sergio Romo and Taylor Rogers all pitched out of the bullpen in the win. Romo allowed a solo blast to Eloy Jimenez to start the ninth, with Rogers finishing the game to secure the victory.
With the win, the Twins improve to 92-58 on the season and will go for another win on Tuesday with Martin Perez starting for Minnesota and first pitch at 6:40 p.m.
