The Twins dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Chicago White Sox Saturday in Chicago; they’ve lost for the eighth time in nine games. The Twins and White Sox wrap up their weekend series Sunday afternoon. Minnesota has been swept in two doubleheaders they’ve played over just three days.
The Twins are now 62-86, 20 games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central.
Game 2: White Sox 7, Twins 6
Dayan Viciedo hit a two-run homer off Twins closer Glen Perkins in the bottom of the ninth Saturday night to give the White Sox a 7-6 walk-off win over the Twins.
It was Perkins’ first appearance in nine days because of tingling in his neck and shoulder. He was tagged with the loss and his sixth blown save in 39 chances, MLB.com reports.
Viciedo’s homer came with the White Sox trailing, 6-5. Pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki had put the Twins ahead in the top of the inning with an RBI double, but Perkins couldn’t close the door.
Minnesota got off to a fast start, scoring four runs in the first off Chicago starter Scott Carroll. Three runs came on Oswaldo Arcia’s 17th homer of the year, a drive to center field. But the White Sox responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning, on a homer by Garcia.
They tied it 4-4 in the fifth on a solo home run by Jose Abreiu. The two teams each scored another run, and the game was tied 5-5 going into the ninth before Suzuki briefly gave the Twins a one-run lead.
Twins rookie starter Logan Darnell allowed four runs – three earned – in 4 1/3 innings. He made his fourth career start in place of Tommy Milone, who was out with a sore neck.
Game 1: White Sox 5, Twins 1
Starter Phil Hughes struck out a career-high 11 batters, but the Twins fell 5-1 to the White Sox in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday in Chicago.
Hughes was charged with all five Chicago runs — three earned — on six hits and a walk, throwing 106 pitches over seven-plus innings, according to MLB.com.
Alexei Ramirez hit a two-run homer off Hughes in the third for the White Sox, accounting for the only scoring over the first six innings. Those runs were unearned after Joe Mauer committed just his second error of the year.
Chicago added another run in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Marcus Semien brought in one run in the eighth with an RBI double. Then Tyler Flowers was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the second run.
The Twins struck out 13 times against Jose Quintana (8-10), who also recorded a career high. In all, Minnesota batters struck out 17 times.
The Twins scored their only run in the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Chris Parmalee hit a double that brought in Kurt Suzuki, who had walked earlier in the inning. That run ended a 16-inning scoring drought for the Twins. The Twins have scored just three runs in their past 32 innings.
Hughes (15-10) got his 11th strikeout in the seventh inning when he fanned Carlos Sanchez, according to the Pioneer Press.
Hughes said he might have had his best fastball all season. Heck of a day for that to happen with shadows around home plate at game time
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) September 13, 2014
Hughes’ career high had been 10 strikeouts, which he’d done twice before. The most recent time was July 13, 2013 when he was a Yankee, and pitched against the Twins, according to MLB.com
The two teams combined for 29 strikeouts, a new record for a nine-inning game involving the Twins. The old mark of 26 was set 19 years ago to the day at Seattle.
