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Major League Baseball
Minnesota 8, Chi. White Sox 6
When: 8:10 PM ET, Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Temperature: 85°
Umpires: Home - CB Bucknor, 1B - Lance Barrett, 2B - Dan Iassogna, 3B - Dale Scott
Attendance: 25803

MINNEAPOLIS -- It seems like the bigger the situation, the better Minnesota Twins' rookie slugger Miguel Sano plays.

Sano's solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday tied the score and turned the tide of the game, one the Twins went on to win 8-6 over the Chicago White Sox at Target Field.

Minnesota scored four early runs then watched as starting pitcher Tyler Duffey coughed up the lead in the middle innings. A two-run homer by Chicago's Avisail Garcia gave the White Sox a 5-4 lead in the sixth before Sano's 14th homer with two down and a full count flipped the script.

"That was a momentum changer for us," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We talk about him, he's usually in the middle of something positive for us offensively."

The Twins capitalized on their new life -- and a pair of Chicago errors -- in the eighth inning, scoring three runs to take an 8-5 lead, before handing the game to closer Glen Perkins. He allowed a run in the ninth, but closed the door for his 32nd save and first since Aug. 16.

"We found a way to win," Molitor said.

The blast by Sano made him just the fourth player in the last decade to hit 14 homers in his first 50 games in the Majors. He has now hit seven home runs over his last 13 games and has reached base safely in 16 consecutive contests overall.

Eduardo Escobar, a former Sox infielder, had three hits for Minnesota, including a leadoff double to kick start the eighth-inning rally. Catcher Kurt Suzuki sacrificed Escobar to third, but pitcher Zach Duke's throw to first eluded Jose Abreu, allowing him to score.

"I feel good now," said Escobar, who has now reached safely in seven straight and has five doubles and three homers over that span. "I'm playing every day, working hard; my bat is good, my swing is good."

Twins center fielder Byron Buxton grounded sharply to Tyler Saladino but the third baseman couldn't handle it, forcing the Sox to intentionally walk second baseman Brian Dozier to load the bases.

First baseman Joe Mauer followed with a sharp RBI single to right center and third baseman Trevor Plouffe's sacrifice fly to shallow center was deep enough for Buxton to scamper home standing up.

Kevin Jepsen got the win, throwing a spotless eight-pitch eighth inning ahead of the late offensive surge. It was Jepsen's first win since being acquired by the Twins from Tampa Bay on July 31.

"Defensively at the end, I think that's what (we're) disappointed about," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "(We) didn't get it done that way. They've been battling and they've been tough on us all year, but the execution there at the end just didn't get it done."

The Twins posted a four-run inning off Chris Sale in the second, taking advantage of four singles, the last two by Escobar and Suzuki, to make it 2-0.

Two batters later, Dozier doubled into the left-center field gap, driving in both Escobar and Suzuki and giving the Twins a 4-0 lead.

Sale settled down after that and left after 6 1/3 innings in line for the win. He allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk, striking out 10. It was the 13th time this season Sale reached double-digit strikeouts, the most since Randy Johnson did it in 2004.

"That early on in the game, you don't want to get too down on yourself," Sale said. "You still have a lot of ballgame left. And we came back and fought. You just want to be able to give your team a chance and not let it snowball and make things worse."

The early support looked like it would be more than enough for Minnesota right-hander Tyler Duffey, who cruised through the first four frames and got two quick outs in the fifth before running into trouble.

First, Dozier couldn't get a good handle on a ground ball deep into the hole between second and first. Duffey then issued three consecutive walks to the 7-8-9 batters, plating one runner.

White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton followed two-run single to right, pulling Chicago to within a run at 4-3.

The base hit was the end of the line for Duffey, who retired the first 11 batters on just 42 pitches, but threw just six of his final 19 pitches for strikes; two of those going for hits.

"I started to get away from things I've been working on," Duffey said. "Started slinging the ball, I started aiming the ball and the next thing you know, I've walked three-in-a-row. Luckily the bullpen could bail me out and we put up some runs late."

Duffey allowed three runs on three hits and three walks, fanning two.

NOTES: As part of September roster expansions, the White Sox recalled RHP Erik Johnson, C Rob Brantly and INF Leury Garcia from Triple-A Charlotte and RHP Frankie Montas from Double-A Birmingham. The club said it could also recall more players later this month as minor league seasons conclude. ... The Twins recalled INF Danny Santana, 1B Kenny Vargas, RHP A.J. Achter and RHP Michael Tonkin from Triple-A Rochester. All four have spent time with the Twins at various points this season. ... The Twins also purchased the contract of C Eric Fryer. To make room for Fryer on the 40-man roster, the Twins outrighted LHP Jason Wheeler to Double-A Chattanooga. ... The White Sox and Twins will continue with the second of their three-game series on Wednesday at Target Field. Chicago left-hander Carlos Rodon (6-5, 4.15 ERA) will oppose Minnesota lefty Tommy Milone (6-4, 3.86 ERA).
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Chi. White Sox   Minnesota
Chris Sale Player Tyler Duffey
No Decision W/L No Decision
6.1 IP 4.2
10 Strikeouts 2
9 Hits 3
5.68 ERA 5.79
Hitting
Chi. White Sox   Minnesota
Adam Eaton Player Eduardo Escobar
4 Hits 3
2 RBI 1
0 HR 0
5 TB 5
.800 Avg .750
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Chi. White Sox 10 1 16 .278 11 3 6 3 0 2
Minnesota 12 1 18 .333 21 13 7 3 0 0