Game Recap: White Sox 4, Twins 1

Box Score

Berríos: 7.0 IP 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 SO

Home Runs: None

Bottom 3 WPA: Celestino -.172, Colomé -.169, Jeffers -.149

Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs)

Night two of Welcome Back Week was Pride Night at Target Field. A blustery, rainy Minneapolis day set the scene for a drab and dreary Twins performance Tuesday night, as the team dropped the second game of their three game series against the White Sox 4-1.

Nelson Cruz returned to the Twins lineup Tuesday from a stiff neck and chest cold while Josh Donaldson was still absent with hamstring tightness.

José Berríos started for the Twins Tuesday, in his penultimate start before the All-Star game in an outing sure to whet the appetite of pitching needy teams ahead of the trade deadline. Similarly to Bailey Ober on Monday, Berríos came out dealing on Tuesday night.

Berríos struck out the side on three different pitches in the first, and looked like a pitcher with something to prove through the rest of his outing. His lone issue came in the second inning, where back to back walks to Leury Garcia and Brian Goodwin came around to score on a Zack Collins single to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead with notable assists to Ryan Jeffers and Miguel Sano, who both contributed errors.

Collins’ single was the lone hit Berríos gave up in seven dominant innings. The Twins ace walked three and struck out ten in an impressive start which included ten swings and misses with contending teams looking on.

Unfortunately for the Twins, White Sox ace Carlos Rodón was on the mound for Chicago. The former number 3 overall pick may be the most surprising factor in the White Sox dominance in 2021, with few predicting the monumental breakout he would have in a rotation which was strong with Lynn, Keuchel, and Giolito but has become formidable with the addition of the triple digit throwing lefty.

Through five innings, the Twins scattered five hits but didn’t manage to cash in. In the sixth inning, with Rodón approaching 100 pitches, they finally broke through. Luis Arraez, Nelson Cruz, and Alex Kirilloff all singled to trim the lead to 2-1, before Rodón struck out Ryan Jeffers and Max Kepler (who has previously hit a double) to end the threat and preserve the White Sox slim lead.

Berríos was clearly in the mood Tuesday, as he emerged approaching 100 pitches to continue the game in the seventh. After two quick ground outs, Berrios struck out Andrew Vaughn on a breaking pitch for his 10th strikeout of the night, slamming his fist into his glove three times as he walked off the mound after a dominant outing.

Michael Kopech came in to relieve Rodón in the seventh. After a Miguel Sano single and a Trevor Larnach groundout, Sano made a baserunning error to get caught in a rundown between second and third on an Andrelton Simmons groundout. A Luis Arraez flyout to center field ended the inning.  

Alexander Colomé entered in the top of the eighth for the Twins and immediately served up a center cut meatball which Zack Collins deposited for a double off the right center field wall. Collins scored on an Adam Eaton single, before Simmons botched a routine ground ball from Yoan Moncada. At the end of the eighth, the Twins had outhit the White Sox 8-3 but had three errors to their name, and trailed 4-1. Liam Hendriks came in and threw two scoreless innings to close the game for the White Sox, wasting an outstanding start from Berrios. Enjoy them while you can Twins fans.

Bullpen Usage Chart

What’s Next?

On Wednesday, the Twins will conclude their three game set against the White Sox. Michael Pineda will return from the IL to take on Lance Lynn. First pitch is at 12:10 CST.