Minnesota 3, Chi. White Sox 0
When: 8:10 PM ET, Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Temperature:
77°
Umpires:
Home -
Lance Barrett, 1B -
Dan Iassogna, 2B -
Dale Scott, 3B -
CB Bucknor
Attendance:
22162
By The Sports Xchange
MINNEAPOLIS -- Tommy Milone has been tough on the Chicago White Sox this season. That trend continued Wednesday night when the veteran left-hander pitched seven shutout innings to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 3-0 win at Target Field.
Milone knew from the outset that he had his good stuff -- and it showed. He allowed just three hits (all singles) and walked none while striking out seven for his seventh victory of the season and third in as many starts against the White Sox.
"It all starts when you're playing catch," Milone said. "Everything felt good from the start. Going through my regular routine, everything felt good and I just kind of carried it into the game."
Chicago had two runners on in an inning only one time, getting the leadoff man on in the third because of an error before a two-out single against Milone.
The charge represented the White Sox's biggest threat of the night and was extinguished when Milone got left fielder Melky Cabrera to fly out to right for the final out.
"We've seen him enough to know, when he's going to have a good night, it's going to include him being able to spot his fastball," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "His changeup was really effective behind in the count. He had guys out front and they just weren't picking it up that well."
Harmless singles in each the fifth and sixth represented the only other men to reach base against the Twins. Milone handed the game to right-handers Trevor May and Kevin Jepsen in the eighth and ninth, each of whom pitched clean innings.
Jepsen, pitching in place of regular closer Glen Perkins (out with a sore back), posted his fifth save with the Twins and 10th overall this season.
Twins designated hitter Miguel Sano continued his torrid pace with a home run against White Sox starter Carlos Rodon to lead off the second inning. Sano turned on Rodon's 1-0 fastball, driving it 439 feet over the center-field fence.
The homer, his 15th of the season, was his eighth in the last 15 games and marked the first time in his big-league career he has homered in three consecutive games.
"A lot of power. He's a good hitter," Rodon said. "I tried to go back-door slider first. I wish he would've hit that pitch because I think the fastball would've been a little different there.
"It was a good pitch, kind of down in the zone, I thought. He's just got a lot of power. He's a great hitter. The guy's been hot."
Rodon worked out of jams in the fourth, fifth and sixth, and was lifted after allowing a leadoff single to Eduardo Escobar in the seventh.
Escobar came around to score on a two-run double by third baseman Trevor Plouffe later in the inning, closing the book on Rodon after six-plus innings and two earned runs. He allowed five hits and walked three while striking out four in his third consecutive quality start.
"The homer, that kid is swinging a pretty good bat. Just tremendous power," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "After that, he got into a little bit of a bind and get out of it. He's got good stuff and he's been doing well. For us, we have to score, we have to put something on the board to help him out."
Plouffe finished with two hits, including the RBI double. His single in the fourth snapped an 0-for-19 skid at the plate.
"He's been having a tough time but came through with a big hit that separated us a little bit at the end," Molitor said.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki also had two hits and right fielder Torii Hunter singled, snapping an 0-for-15 stretch, including an 0-for-37 run at Target Field. His sixth-inning single marked his first hit at home since he homered against Seattle on July 30.
NOTES: White Sox CF Adam Eaton was given Wednesday night off. He had four hits and an RBI on Tuesday. ... Twins 3B Miguel Sano was named American League Rookie of the Month. He led all AL rookies in runs (18), home runs (nine), RBIs (26) and walks (16) in August. He is the first Twins player to win the award since Ben Revere in June 2011. ... The White Sox and Twins wrap up a three-game series at Target Field on Thursday afternoon. Chicago RHP Jeff Samardzija (8-11, 4.85 ERA) faces Minnesota RHP Kyle Gibson (9-9, 3.82).
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
| Chi. White Sox
|
3 |
0 |
3 |
.097 |
7 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Minnesota
|
7 |
1 |
11 |
.241 |
15 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
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