The Minnesota Twins got off to a hot start against Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale, who inexplicably has played poorly against Minnesota recently, tagging him for two runs in the first inning while dealing with control issues.
“We took advantage of some wildness there, but he settled in,” manager Paul Molitor told the Star Tribune. “He started using his off-speed [pitches] very effectively and put up zeros. He’s a horse.”
But the White Sox powered back, and routed the Twins once again on Saturday night. They tied the game up 2-2 after three innings, and a three-run seventh sealed it for them.
Byung Ho Park, who is off to a hot start, was hit by a pitch in the first inning and suffered a bruised knee, forcing Joe Mauer to play on what was supposed to be a night off. Then Kurt Suzuki suffered whiplash after being hit by a foul-tip off of Brett Lawrie’s bat. He will be replaced by Triple-A call-up Juan Centeno on Sunday.
“I said my neck, my traps were tight. They said, ‘You got pretty good whiplash on that hit,’ ” Suzuki, who passed a concussion test after being removed, told the Star Tribune. “I’ve taken some hits before, but this is probably one of the more direct ones. The mask didn’t fall off. Usually the mask falls off and that’s a good sign, because it deflects it. The ones that go straight on are the ones that give you a little bit of trouble.”
Brian Dozier sat once again with a hamstring injury. Eduardo Escobar was just placed on the disabled list, joining Kyle Gibson and Glen Perkins. And now, after Saturday’s loss, the Twins find themselves at the bottom of the American League and one loss ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League.
“Everything is going their way right now,” starter Ervin Santana told the Pioneer Press. “It’s going to turn for us, and let’s see if they can handle it later. Let’s see later if they can hold it through the season.”
[Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Associated Press]
