White Sox 4, Twins 3: Twins Lose Season Series to 2025 White Sox

[Sherry Cerny]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Zebby Matthews - 6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (84 pitches, 55 strikes (65%))
Home Runs: None
Bottom 3 WPA: Justin Topa (-0.641), James Outman (-0.163), Luke Keaschall (-0.145)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Zebby Matthews pitched last against San Diego, and had probably one of his best outings of the season. Matthews was locked in early against the White Sox, setting them down 1-2-3. On the other side, the bats for the Twins have been swinging back into form, with 25 runs in the last five games. Alas, in this series in particular, the White Sox had already twice found ways to make that not matter. The team's best hope was to split the four-game series.

Trevor Larnach created momentum in the first inning with a single to center field and waited patiently for his turn to go. With a 3-2 count on Luke Keaschall, he was off with the pitch, and a Keaschall double that reached the left-field wall scored him easily from first. Matt Wallner then singled to right, and Keaschall scampered home when the ball was misplayed by a charging Brooks Baldwin.

The White Sox answered with a second-inning solo homer by Edgar Quero, but Matthews then put it in cruise control. The score held at 2-1 until the sixth, despite a leadoff triple by Byron Buxton in the fifth. He was cut down on a Keaschall dribbler to the pitcher, trying to score. Matt Wallner stranded Keaschall at first by popping out. He was heard later in the game on the hot field mic, saying, "I'm not that good right now" to the umpire—before taking a swing at a ball he thought was low and in the zone, but was a strike that sent him packing. 

Matthews departed after six frames, having allowed just the one run and needing only 84 pitches. Before any reliever could even toe the rubber, the offense gave their starter a bit more run support. Ryan Jeffers collected his third hit of the night. Brooks Lee moved him into scoring position on a groundout, to set up Royce Lewis. Lewis, in turn, notched a third hit of his own, scoring Jeffers to bump the lead to 3-1. Lewis also stole two bases, and continues a recent surge in all facets of the game.

Cole Sands came on in the seventh, and knocked out the White Sox hitters in fast and accurate fashion. Sands has been throwing harder lately, and is turning around his season in its final several weeks. He mowed down Chicago to the tune of two innings, no baserunners and four strikeouts.

Kody Funderburk got the nod to start the ninth inning, looking to secure the game against a left-leaning pocket of the White Sox lineup. Funderburk got Colson Montgomery to start his outing, but put the tying run on base by yielding a single to Quero. He battled with Benintendi at the plate, working up a full count, but he ultimately walked him.

The Twins moved on to Justin Topa, who has a great ground-ball rate. Although the tying run was aboard, a double play would get the Twins out of the inning and secure the win. But two outs can be awfully hard to find, sometimes. Topa fanned Curtis Mead, but a broken-bat flare over the head of Keaschall off the bat of Baldwin brought home pinch-runner Korey Lee to halve the lead.

Maki came out to calm down Topa, and whatever he said, Topa got Michael A. Taylor to chase the first two pitches, both sweepers. Ahead 0-2, though, he kept trying that sweeper out of the zone. Taylor watched two go by, during which time Baldwin stole second to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Topa's fifth straight sweeper hung on the inner half of the plate, and Taylor crushed it—down the line and hooking, but fair, scoring Benintendi and Baldwin for the White Sox lead 4-3.

The Twins had one more chance to make a go at the win, with Buxton up first. He cracked a double to left, and Larnach followed with a hard-won walk. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. came in to pinch-run for Larnach, and just like that, the Twins had great speed on the bases representing both the tying and the winning runs.

Keaschall, though, hit a routine fly to Benintendi for the first out, and Outman sliced an equally harmless ball to the same man. Jeffers stood in as the last chance, but instead of heroics, he could produce only a routine ground ball for the final out of the game. The Twins have lost the season series to the White Sox for the first time since 2021. 

What’s Next? 
The Twins finish out the series with the White Sox before heading to the Kansas City Royals. Taj Bradley (6-7; 4.83 ERA) will be taking the mound against Shane Smith (4-7; 3.81 ERA) at 6:40 PM CST, Thursday.  

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

 

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[mikelink45]

Wow we won the first eight innings. Too bad it takes nine and we have to go to the pen. Nice game Zebby. 

[ashbury]

"a sustainable and championship-caliber team and organization that Twins fans across Twins Territory will be proud of".  -- Derek Falvey, November 7, 2016

https://zonecoverage.com/2016/mn-twins-news/twins-introduce-derek-falvey-thad-levine-as-new-baseball-power-structure/

 

[Melissa]

How many leads and games have been blown by this bullpen? Feels like a whole lot. 

[Parfigliano]

I figured it was going to be another loss when Buxton hit leadoff TR and didn't score.

[Parfigliano]

I wish the would announce paid attendance and actual attendance.  The difference in those two numbers for September would be a nice snapshot on fans real interest in TC baseball.

[JADBP]

Yes, it looked like at, most, 3-4000 in attendance.  They won’t announce actual attendance as it is too embarrassing. 

[Glorybound]

I wonder if we can at least win more games than the Rockies next season? Clearly we have fallen behind the White Sox.

[JADBP]

The 9th inning was a managing disaster.  Buxton leads off with a double and Larnach walks. Down by one, with no outs, a good place to be.  Keirsey comes in to run for Larnach.  Now, we have the middle of the order coming up in Keaschall, Wallner and Jeffers.  So far so good.  Then Keaschall pops out.   Ouch. So, what does the idiot do?  He again subs out Wallner for Outman!  Wait…WTF?  Outman is batting .134!!!! He’s not LH and neither is the Pitcher.  Wallner is and is batting .234 and has an OBP over 100 pts higher than Outman.  But alas OUTman lives up to his name.  Easy out.  I suspect the CWS coach is just laughing.  Jeffers comes in and is the final out.  
 

Why if why does the idiot keep subbing out Wallner?  It makes absolutely no sense.  It’s like last year with Margot.  Does Rocco understand that that he keeps making these “never works out well” decisions over and over?  Doesn’t Jayce Tingler ever tap him on the shoulder and say “Hey, how about we let him hit tonight.”  I would think that after watching Margot go 0-29, the Saber tool would say do NOT use him as a PH in big. Flashing red letters.  Same for PHing for Wallner with a far inferior hitter!  What is WRONG with Rocco?????

[David HK]

🤡😂🤡🤣🤡!

Busy day at school, so no time this morning- but a quick check of the box yielded yucks galore!

What- Bux leadoff triple, and DOESN'T SCORE?!?  Fundy/FindOut decides to end his decent run, and starts the implosion, and Topacabana finishes it with a flourish?!?

What another hilarious 💩show!  Glad I missed it!

Oh, and how nice it is to be THE ONLY TEAM the Sox have a winning record against this year!  (Granted, they're 2-1 over Tampa, but they still have to play again!)  🤡🤣🤡😂🤡

[h2oface]

Buxton is getting hits like Wallner’s. Inconsequential. A lead off triple and double. Nobody can drive him in. The other 3 at bats, horrible Ks. One with 2 runners on. Swinging at crap that isn’t even close. But this whole leftover bunch….. I am amazed they even win a few. I feel sorry for Buxton and Ryan and Keaschall. This is like watching a minor league team. 

[TL]

On the bright side: Zebby continues his upward trajectory; Buxton, Lewis, Keaschall, Jeffers - guys we care about for 2026 - continue to perform late in the season; Pablo is almost back. Let’s see if Bradley can back up his last outing tonight! 

[old nurse]

Rocco is managing to get higher draft picks. Hopefully the new minority owners know how to draft in the first round. Rocco is also going a fine job of putting bad relievers in a position to fail. They just are not quite good enough. Topa is another example of not buying into an outlier season. 

[I Never Bet On Sports]

The White Sox were carrying a streak of 0 - 205 when trailing after 8 innings before last night. Twins response: Hold my beer.

On the bright side, the Twins are now in second place for the 2026 draft lottery passing the Pirates with the late inning collapse. 

[karcherd]

4 hours ago, JADBP said:

The 9th inning was a managing disaster.  Buxton leads off with a double and Larnach walks. Down by one, with no outs, a good place to be.  Keirsey comes in to run for Larnach.  Now, we have the middle of the order coming up in Keaschall, Wallner and Jeffers.  So far so good.  Then Keaschall pops out.   Ouch. So, what does the idiot do?  He again subs out Wallner for Outman!  Wait…WTF?  Outman is batting .134!!!! He’s not LH and neither is the Pitcher.  Wallner is and is batting .234 and has an OBP over 100 pts higher than Outman.  But alas OUTman lives up to his name.  Easy out.  I suspect the CWS coach is just laughing.  Jeffers comes in and is the final out.  
 

Why if why does the idiot keep subbing out Wallner?  It makes absolutely no sense.  It’s like last year with Margot.  Does Rocco understand that that he keeps making these “never works out well” decisions over and over?  Doesn’t Jayce Tingler ever tap him on the shoulder and say “Hey, how about we let him hit tonight.”  I would think that after watching Margot go 0-29, the Saber tool would say do NOT use him as a PH in big. Flashing red letters.  Same for PHing for Wallner with a far inferior hitter!  What is WRONG with Rocco?????

Outman came in earlier in the game as a defensive replacement for Wallner.  But I still don't like that move for the reason that when his spot comes up again, Outman is hitting.

[jmlease1]

Miserable end to the game on a chilly night in a nearly empty stadium. I was one of the few that was there (paid for these tickets back in Feb, so might as well use them). Really sucks to lose to this @$&*# franchise. and the 9th inning was miserable.

A very 2025 Twins loss.

There were some good things going on too: Martin made a lovely running catch at the wall in LF. Buxton, Lewis, and Jeffers all looked good at the plate, and Zebby pitched quite well (even the homer he yielded was of the "excuse me" type). Even the much maligned Julien made a really nice fielding play at 1B.

And then the bullpen melted down in the 9th to throw the game away. Blech.

We estimated the crowd at no more than 5,000 (it was hard to judge since people were primarily gathered in spots where they could stay warm...) Can't blame anyone for not wanting to go see a Pohlad-owned team.

[Jack207]

Just take a look at the 8 relievers the Twins are currently using. Not one MLB arm.

[Nshore]

Here's a new stat for those who live by them.  Wallner's weight is 220, and his batting average is .207.  Therefore, his weight to batting average coefficient is -13.  Current rating = millstone.  Next year he should be hitting in AAA next to McCusker.

[Old Crow]

AAAARRRGGH!!!

[LastOnePicked]

5 hours ago, JADBP said:

What is WRONG with Rocco?????

He's just not a very good MLB manager. That's been clear for years now. The question is, what's wrong with the FO that they keep putting him at the helm?

[Twinkie in Deutschland]

https://flensburgerfiles.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/word-of-the-week-tanking/ With the Twins tanking thisseason, one wonders if Donald Trump will step in.....

[David Maro]

Here's a little timid bit it only took 8 years for Rocco to ask the team to run. The last time I looked he is the manager,you don't ask you tell them they need to run.

It's long past time to put Topa on the shelf,he has been bad all year and was unable to pitch last year as well.

Attendance looked like I was watching a Marlins game. Hopefully Polhad's were watching and get a hint that it is time to sell.

[DJL44]

10 hours ago, ashbury said:

"a sustainable and championship-caliber team and organization that Twins fans across Twins Territory will be proud of".  -- Derek Falvey, November 7, 2016

https://zonecoverage.com/2016/mn-twins-news/twins-introduce-derek-falvey-thad-levine-as-new-baseball-power-structure/

 

The first 10 seasons are just a warm-up, right?

[DJL44]

6 hours ago, JADBP said:

The 9th inning was a managing disaster.  Buxton leads off with a double and Larnach walks. Down by one, with no outs, a good place to be.  Keirsey comes in to run for Larnach.  Now, we have the middle of the order coming up in Keaschall, Wallner and Jeffers.  So far so good.  Then Keaschall pops out.   Ouch. So, what does the idiot do?  He again subs out Wallner for Outman!  Wait…WTF?  Outman is batting .134!!!! He’s not LH and neither is the Pitcher.  Wallner is and is batting .234 and has an OBP over 100 pts higher than Outman.  But alas OUTman lives up to his name.  Easy out.  I suspect the CWS coach is just laughing.  Jeffers comes in and is the final out.  

Why if why does the idiot keep subbing out Wallner?  It makes absolutely no sense.  It’s like last year with Margot.  Does Rocco understand that that he keeps making these “never works out well” decisions over and over?  Doesn’t Jayce Tingler ever tap him on the shoulder and say “Hey, how about we let him hit tonight.”  I would think that after watching Margot go 0-29, the Saber tool would say do NOT use him as a PH in big. Flashing red letters.  Same for PHing for Wallner with a far inferior hitter!  What is WRONG with Rocco?????

Outman came in for defensive purposes in the top of the 8th. He wasn't a pinch hitter. Outman doesn't do many things well, but he does play defense better than Matt Wallner.

[DJL44]

44 minutes ago, David Maro said:

It's long past time to put Topa on the shelf, he has been bad all year and was unable to pitch last year as well.

He really hasn't been bad all season. He was perfectly acceptable in a 6th-7th inning role when the manager had someone better to swap in if he ran into trouble. He gives up hits, but rarely home runs. He's not a closer, he doesn't strike out enough guys for that role. The Twins don't have anyone in the bullpen besides Cole Sands to strike out batters. Rocco used Sands in a critical spot but there isn't enough behind him.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Jack207 said:

Just take a look at the 8 relievers the Twins are currently using. Not one MLB arm.

Sands is a legit MLB arm. And he did the job last night. They just don't have anywhere near enough other options. But this is what happens when you trade away your top 5 bullpen arms and don't bring back anyone who is ready for high-leverage roles in the bullpen (and frankly they didn't really bring back any immediate relievers).

I don't really blame Rocco for the loss last night; they sent Coulombe out, so he's stuck with Funderburk in that role and with the season lost you have to see whether or not he might be an option. He suggests he's not going to make it. Topa was probably the best remaining choice, and he should be pitching middle relief not closing games, but he's at least been a MLB arm. They had a 2-run lead and couldn't hold it, entirely because they traded away Duran, Jax, Stewart, Varland, and Coulombe.

Down a run in the bottom of the 9th, my friend and I decided the most 2025 Twins thing that could happen was for Buxton to hit another triple and then not score. We almost had it...

[Aggies7]

I keep thinking rock bottom exists but it doesn’t seem to 

[JBK]

7 hours ago, JADBP said:

The 9th inning was a managing disaster.  Buxton leads off with a double and Larnach walks. Down by one, with no outs, a good place to be.  Keirsey comes in to run for Larnach.  Now, we have the middle of the order coming up in Keaschall, Wallner and Jeffers.  So far so good.  Then Keaschall pops out.   Ouch. So, what does the idiot do?  He again subs out Wallner for Outman!  Wait…WTF?  Outman is batting .134!!!! He’s not LH and neither is the Pitcher.  Wallner is and is batting .234 and has an OBP over 100 pts higher than Outman.  But alas OUTman lives up to his name.  Easy out.  I suspect the CWS coach is just laughing.  Jeffers comes in and is the final out.  
 

Why if why does the idiot keep subbing out Wallner?  It makes absolutely no sense.  It’s like last year with Margot.  Does Rocco understand that that he keeps making these “never works out well” decisions over and over?  Doesn’t Jayce Tingler ever tap him on the shoulder and say “Hey, how about we let him hit tonight.”  I would think that after watching Margot go 0-29, the Saber tool would say do NOT use him as a PH in big. Flashing red letters.  Same for PHing for Wallner with a far inferior hitter!  What is WRONG with Rocco?????

FIRE ROCCO!

[ashbury]

47 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Outman came in for defensive purposes in the top of the 8th. He wasn't a pinch hitter. Outman doesn't do many things well, but he does play defense better than Matt Wallner.

[DJL44]

5 hours ago, h2oface said:

Buxton is getting his like Wallner’s. Inconsequential. A lead off triple and double. Nobody can drive him in. 

Now it's Buxton's fault that a leadoff triple and a leadoff double didn't lead to runs? Somehow that makes him "unclutch"?