Twins 14, White Sox 2: The bomba giveth

This one was pretty much over after just a few innings. Jake Cave hit a grand slam off of Reynaldo Lopez in the 1st inning. They added 5 more runs in the 2nd, led by Nelson Cruz’s 3-run double. Plenty of run support for Kenta Maeda.

Maeda went 5 innings, striking out 6, with the only blemish being a 2-run homer by Luis Robert. Maeda featured a fastball topping out at 94 MPH, and mixed in a healthy dosage of breaking balls to keep the White Sox guessing. He probably could have gone another inning, but with the heat and this being his first start (and also being up big) the bullpen finished up the remaining 4 innings.

Cruz walloped a solo shot to left in the 4th, and in the 8th he drove one out for a 3-run homer to add on to the rout.

Marwin Gonzalez joined the bomba parade in the 9th, with a solo HR to right.

Notes:

• White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez left the game with an apparent injury in the 2nd inning with 2 outs. Gio Gonzalez replaced him.
• Eloy Jimenez left the game after colliding with the wall on Jake Cave’s grand slam.
• Robert’s homer in the 5th is the first of his career. He’s someone the Twins will probably have to worry about for a long time.

Studs

Nelson Cruz: 4-5, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI

Jake Cave: 1-4, GRAND SLAM

Jorge Polanco: 2-4, BB

Luis Arraez: 2-5

Marwin Gonzalez: 2-5, HR

Pretty much the whole team.

Duds

NO DUDS TWINS WIN!

Robot Roll Call: