Twins 10, White Sox 3: Bats come alive behind a Pineda gem

The Minnesota Twins bounced back in a big way in game two of the series by beating the White Sox 10-3. Yet again the Twins were able to stay away from a three game losing streak. The game started off on a good track with Nelson Cruz blasting a two run bomb to right field.

Michael Pineda struggled in the first but was able to settle down nicely and toss 6.0 good innings only giving up 4 hits and 1 earned run. He also struck out 8 and walked 1. He generated 15 swings and misses while throwing strikes on 63 of his 88 pitches. In his last 10 starts, Pineda now has a 4.05 ERA and a .236 AVG against. He is pretty good.

Max Kepler ignited the offense again in the 5th by hitting a solo home run to right and then two innings later he hit another solo homer to left field. Cruz followed that by getting an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-1. They weren’t quite done there.

The 8th inning had more fireworks with Sano crushing a home run to left center field. This was his 3rd homer in the first two days of the series so it is good to see him heating up. Nelson Cruz followed that up with another bomb (112 MPH exit velo, 470 feet) to give the Twins a 10-2 lead.

The bullpen did its job with May, Duffey and Blake Parker each going an inning. May and Parker both gave up a run because its baseball and that happens sometimes.

Overall, the Twins offense stepped up with the long ball to back up Pineda and the bullpen. Game three tomorrow to see who wins the series.

Notes

• Byron Buxton and Marwin Gonzalez were both activated and in the lineup
• Tyler Duffey pitched a scoreless inning and has a 1.75 ERA in 25.2 innings
• It was announced today that Kyle Gibsons start will be pushed back so Lewis Thorpe is likely to start tomorrow.

Studs

• Michael Pineda: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 8 K
• Nelson Cruz: 4-5, 2 HR, 2B, 5 RBIs (avg exit velo of 109 MPH)
• Max Kepler: 2-5, 2 HR, 2 RBIs

Duds

• None! Twins win!
• The Indians...

Win probability graph

Roll Call: