Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, September 2, 2016 Twins hold off White Sox to end losing streak at 13 games. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 Byron Buxton homers in return to Twins. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2 Twins snap 13-game losing streak with first win since Aug. 17. Pioneer Press (Graff) p. 3 Twins call up Byron Buxton. Pioneer Press (Graff) p. 4 Buxton sparks 5-run frame, as Twins snap skid. MLB.com (Merkin and Park) p. 5 Flat tire inflates drama of Buxton's callup. MLB.com (Park) p. 7 Santana wiggles out of jams, keeps Twins in game. MLB.com (Park) p. 8 Buxton, Plouffe homer to lead Twins over White Sox 8-5. Associated Press p. 8 Twins hold off White Sox to end losing streak at 13 games La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune September 2, 2016 The Twins have been embarrassed, frustrated and baffled by the bad baseball bug that has bit them late in the season and has them hurtling toward 100 losses. But, Thursday night, they felt relief. A couple of big blows enabled them to hold off the White Sox 8-5 at Target Field. It ended their losing streak at 13 games, one shy of the 1982 Twins for the longest losing streak in club history. So, for the first time since Aug. 17 at Atlanta, the Twins shook hands on the field and smiled after a game. One great thing about baseball, there s always another game to get things right. But the mounting losses were too much to use the short-memory technique. There s no doubt about it, said third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to give the Twins a 7-2 lead. You never want to put yourself in that position. We have been trying to take it one day at a time, but when the losses add up like that, it s hard to forget about them. We re happy it happened today. And, no, there was no dance party in the Twins clubhouse after the streak-buster. Just the standard loud music. The game was played before an announced crowd of 20,329 but there appeared to be fewer than that at first pitch. The woebegone Twins have played themselves to the end of the list of options on a busy night in the Twin Cities. The Gophers football team and Vikings and the State Fair were in play Thursday night, better attractions than watching a baseball team that had been outscored by 129 runs in August. After going 0-6 on their road trip to Toronto and Cleveland, the Twins were ready to try home cooking. It s a good feeling, manager Paul Molitor said. You win the first time in a couple weeks. It wasn t easy. It was a long game, a tough game. Down 1-0 in the second inning, the Twins struck for five runs on five hits, including a big blow from Byron Buxton.
Two runs were already in, Kurt Suzuki was on second and Eddie Rosario was on first. White Sox lefthander Jose Quintana, who entered the night leading the American League with a 2.77 ERA, left a 1-2 breaking ball over the middle of the plate to Buxton, making his first start since being called up from Class AAA Rochester. Buxton, who began the day with a.199 batting average in 109 career big-league games, didn t miss it. The ball sailed into the second deck for a three-run homer and a 5-1 Twins lead. His first three at-bats, I haven t seen bat speed like that and aggressiveness like that out of him in a long time, Plouffe said. It was really cool to see. It should have been plenty of support for Ervin Santana (7-10), but the veteran righthander threw 102 pitches over five laborious innings, holding Chicago to only two runs despite 11 hits. Quintana also lasted five innings, but he gave up seven earned runs, the most for him since April 19, 2015. The teams traded runs over the final innings, with Jose Abreu hitting a two-run homer for the White Sox, but the Twins bullpen managed to get 12 outs to finish off the game, with Brandon Kintzler earning his 13th save in 14 chances. Kurt Suzuki was 2-for-4 with two RBI. The White Sox lost their fourth in a row. The Twins? They are 1-0 in September and don t want to relive the horrors of August. You don t want to just mail it in, Plouffe said. We want to play good baseball and there s a lot riding for a lot guys, including myself. Byron Buxton homers in return to Twins La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune September 2, 2016 Byron Buxton earned a good night of sleep Thursday. Buxton awoke at 3:15 a.m. in Rochester, N.Y., to head to the airport and fly to the Twin Cities. But, about halfway to the airport, he experienced rental car trouble. He started walking toward the airport but then called Mike Herman, Twins director of team travel, who called for a tow truck. Buxton made his flight on time and landed safely at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He had left his own car at one of the MSP parking ramps when he was demoted to Class AAA Rochester last month, but he couldn't find it upon his return. "I looked on every level to find my car,'' Buxton said. "After about an hour and half, I called security, and they had my car.'' He paid to get his car back and drove to the ballpark, arriving at the clubhouse at 3:30 p.m. He then belted a three-run homer to help the Twins beat the White Sox 8-5. This is his third stint with the Twins this season. In 20 games with Rochester in August, Buxton batted.257 with five homers and 10 RBI. He did enjoy a stretch in which he homered in four consecutive games including hitting the first pitch of the game out in back-to-back games. He also went 15 games without drawing a walk. He walked three times and struck out 32 times in those 20 games. Since making his major league debut on June 14, 2015, Buxton has a.201 batting average in 110 career games. He's still trying to prove he's the elite prospect many thought he was when the Twins drafted him second overall in 2012. "Just as far as hitting standpoint, just being more consistent," Buxton said. "Going out there and putting the ball in play. Putting a good swing on the ball and hitting it hard somewhere and getting on base." It worked out Thursday after a long and tiring day. "I'm about to go straight to the pillow,'' Buxton said. Roster expansion 2
With September's arrival, major league teams now can call up anyone on their 40-man roster. Since Rochester is in playoff contention, it's unlikely that the Twins will promote more players until after the season ends Labor Day. Three pitchers on the disabled list lefthanders Buddy Boshers (elbow) and Tommy Milone (biceps) and righthander Trevor May (shoulder) will be restored to the Twins roster once they are healthy. Boshers is on a rehabilitation assignment at Rochester. May and Milone likely will pitch in simulated games at Target Field before they are activated. Designated hitter Kennys Vargas and catcher John Ryan Murphy are expected to be among the players summoned from Rochester once the regular season ends. Murphy, who was demoted May 6, extended his hitting streak to seven games Thursday. With Santana likely headed to the 60-day disabled list, the Twins might call up infielder James Beresford, who is 27 and has never played in the majors. Etc. Former Twins star Justin Morneau opened up his Twin Cities-area home Wednesday night for his White Sox teammates so they could hold their annual fantasy football draft. Class AA Chattanooga lefthander Stephen Gonsalves, 22, was named Southern League player of the month after going 5-0 with a 0.28 ERA. He gave up three runs (one earned) over 32⅔ innings in August. Twins snap 13-game losing streak with first win since Aug. 17 Chad Graff Pioneer Press September 1, 2016 The Twins met around the mound for a postgame baseball ceremony that tends to feel old by this late point of the season, the victorious highfive celebration made common by all teams of this sport. But on this clear-sky Thursday night, they lingered and smiled and laughed a bit more than usual, relishing a ritual that s been far from frequent for Major League Baseball s worst team. Thirteen games had passed leading to Thursday without high-fives or fireworks or postgame music in the clubhouse. Thursday, in the start of a four-game series with the White Sox, they were nine innings from matching a franchise worst 14-game skid. Instead, the Twins finally combined timely hits including a pair of homers with sufficient pitching to end a losing streak that threatened to match one set by a futile 102-loss 1982 Twins squad. Even if these Twins still have 34 more losses than wins, Thursday s 8-5 victory over the White Sox offered a welcome change of pace for a team that hadn t won since beating the Atlanta Braves, MLB s second worst team, on Aug. 17. There was definitely a sense of relief to finally get a win after two weeks, manager Paul Molitor said. Overcoming adversity is part of life. You find out more about character and those type of things when you have to endure difficulties. The rare victory was hardly ever in doubt for the Twins. Byron Buxton powered a five-run second inning with a three-run blast in his return from the minors and Trevor Plouffe added a two-run shot in the fifth, which gave Twins ace Ervin Santana ample support. The starter was far from perfect, but he scattered the 11 hits allowed and stranded 12 runners to limit Chicago to two runs over five innings. When you don t have your good stuff, Santana said, that s when you have to battle and show what you ve got. The team s bullpen featured a trio of Taylor Rogers, Ryan Pressly, and Brandon Kintzler that finished the final four innings to give the Twins a victory at long last. Still, 28 games remain in an enduring season that threatens to leave this disappointing Twins team with 100 losses. But the slump-snapping win 3
was welcome for a pressing squad eager to avoid a history-making defeat, even if it came in front of a half empty Target Field befitting this matchup of the division s worst teams. Santana s 102 pitches only lasted five innings, but he fanned six batters in that time and improved his record to 7-10 on the season on a night he wasn t at his best. Not surprisingly we broke the streak with Ervin on the mound, Molitor said. He s had some better games, but I don t know if he s ever had to fight harder to get a win. The Twins first victory in 14 days came behind a rejuvenated lineup, which produced a hit from every spot in the order except Miguel Sano s cleanup position. Five straight hits in the second inning yielded five runs and a lead the Twins never gave back. Buxton s three-run homer that inning capped a long day for the 22-year-old call-up, who woke up at 3:30 a.m. to catch a flight to Minnesota. En route to the airport, a tire on his rental car popped and he walked three miles, he said, to get service. I m about to go straight to the pillow, Buxton said after his three RBI night. I m exhausted. Twins call up Byron Buxton Chad Graff Pioneer Press September 1, 2016 Byron Buxton is getting one last chance to leave a good impression on the Twins before the 2016 season ends. The 22-year-old outfielder was called up Thursday and inserted into the team s lineup for the first of a four-game series against the White Sox. The call-up makes this Buxton s third MLB stint this season, and with 29 games remaining including Thursday s, he has another opportunity to improve on a season that hasn t been the breakout campaign many hoped for. Buxton was sent down to Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 7 with a.193 batting average in 63 MLB games. Although his defense in center field largely kept him in the lineup, his strikeout totals were particularly worrisome. Buxton had fanned 80 times in 197 MLB at-bats entering Thursday to go with just 13 walks. Buxton returned to Minnesota after 20 games at the Triple-A level, where he homered five times, but he was still unable to solve the strikeout problem, fanning 32 times in those games. There have been some positives and some negatives about the way that he s been playing, manager Paul Molitor said. There s the power that we saw hitting homers in four consecutive games. But I think he s still trying to find ways to have consistently competitive at bats in terms of doing a better job of not missing pitches early and trying to fight with two strikes and put balls in play. Asked about his high number of strikeouts, Buxton said: That s part of the game. Going down there, it was like don t pay any attention to anything else, just pay attention to myself and go out and do what I do. I still didn t get quite to where I wanted to. But I feel pretty good and confident. Although the maximum number of players allowed on MLB rosters expanded from 25 to 40 Thursday, the Twins had planned to avoid any callups from Rochester, where the affiliate Red Wings are in the midst of a playoff race, entering Thursday 3 1/2 games back in the wild-card chase. But for a multitude of reasons namely that the Twins needed a right-handed outfielder with Robbie Grossman unable to play because of a sore oblique Buxton received a promotion. The Twins are well aware of the pressures for Buxton to perform after they drafted him No. 2 overall in 2012 but want to remain patient with the outfielder. I think there s a lot of talk about him and where he s at, Molitor said. But I try to be mindful of a young player a very young player that, yes, has had some time here. But it s one of those things that we have to keep trying to be patient. I think every time he plays be it a good day or bad day is going to help him in the long run. 4
Buxton has a.305 average with 11 homers and 58 strikeouts in 49 Triple-A games this season. Before he was demoted last month, he had been hitless in his previous 11 at-bats and admitted that the trip back to the minors served as a bit of a mental break. You could say that, but I didn t really think about it too much, Buxton said. I just went out there and tried to help them win. BRIEFLY Injured pitchers Tommy Milone (biceps tendinitis) and Trevor May (back) threw bullpen sessions Wednesday and are expected to again this weekend. If that goes well, they could throw a simulated game next week. Molitor said Grossman is not really ready to swing the bat for a couple more days. Buxton sparks 5-run frame, as Twins snap skid Scott Merkin and Do-Hyoung Park MLB.com September 2, 2016 MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton didn't even arrive in the Twins' clubhouse until less than four hours before first pitch after his recall from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. His car got a flat tire on his way to the airport, and he had to walk three miles to get it serviced. The Twins are lucky that Buxton got back to Minneapolis in time, because he swatted a three-run homer that capped a five-run rally in the second inning, putting Minnesota ahead for good, as they topped the White Sox, 8-5, on Thursday night at Target Field, finally snapping a season-high 13-game losing streak. "It wasn't easy," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. "It was a long game, a tough game. Not surprisingly, we broke the streak with Ervin [Santana] on the mound, even though he had to fight.... It's a relief. We know we can't enjoy these things very long." Trevor Plouffe also hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning as the Twins tagged White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana, the American League ERA leader, for a season-high seven earned runs in five innings. It snapped a streak of eight quality starts by Quintana and was his shortest outing since June 5. "They got him in the second there," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "It seemed like everything he left over the plate they put a good swing on. They got something going, then the homer. He settled down somewhat after that but the pitch count was starting to get up and took it all out of him." "When you give up two more runs after you retire 10 batters straight, it's a bad one," said Quintana, referring to Plouffe's home run. "It was a bad night for me. I'll turn the page, and that's it. I'll try to just keep going with the next one." Twins right-hander Ervin Santana got hit hard by the White Sox, but was able to limit the damage to two runs in five innings, despite allowing a season-high 11 hits. Although the White Sox chipped away at the Twins' bullpen, adding two in the sixth on Jose Abreu's 20th homer of the season and another run in the eighth on an RBI double by Carlos Sanchez, they were unable to complete the comeback as they extended their losing streak to four games. "It's tough, but at the same time, you don't think about it," Santana said. "You just try to make a good pitch, because when you don't have your good stuff, that's where you have to battle and show what you've got." Sanchez had entered the game in the fourth inning after starting shortstop Tim Anderson exited with a bruised right calf after getting hit by a line drive in the first inning. Anderson is day to day. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Buxton is back: The Twins' center fielder, who had homered in four straight games with Triple-A Rochester a week ago, made his presence felt immediately with a three-run homer in the second inning in his first Major League at-bat since Aug. 5. It was only the second homer of the season for Buxton, who entered the game hitting.193/.247/.315 in 63 games this season with the Twins. The homer traveled a Statcastestimated 388 feet into the second deck in left field. "You want to argue you want to see the consistent contact, a guy that finds a way to get on base and utilize his speed," Molitor said. "But we'll 5
take the homers when they come, especially on a night like tonight, a big three-run homer for him." Beware of Abreu: After hitting.362 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs in August, Abreu picked up where he left off to start September. The White Sox first baseman had three hits, including a two-run homer with two outs in the sixth, raising his consecutive-games streak of reaching base to 28, which is currently highest in the Majors and extends his career-best streak. Abreu has eight hits in 17 at-bats during the first four games of this road trip. Santana survives: The bats weren't really the problem in Minnesota's extended losing streak, as the Twins actually had their best month of the season at the plate in August. Rather, it had been the shaky pitching staff that led to the prolonged woes. Santana was able to turn that around Thursday, as he worked five innings, despite not having his best stuff, and kept the Twins in the game by stranding 10 White Sox runners. He finished his outing by striking out two hitters and inducing a groundout to work out of a first-and-second, no-out jam in the fifth. "He's had some better games," Molitor said. "I don't know if he's ever had to fight harder to get a win. You look up there at one point, and they have 10 left on base and we have zero. That was the big difference. He pitched out of jams." Welcome to the show: Juan Minaya and Kevan Smith, who were recalled from Triple-A Charlotte prior to Thursday's contest, made their Major League debuts on the same day. Minaya worked the eighth inning, with Smith behind the plate, and struck out one during a scoreless frame. Smith ended the inning by throwing out Jorge Polanco trying to steal. Smith lined out to center in his first career at-bat with one out in the ninth. "Fortunately Minaya got his first strikeout and I got my first throw out at the same time. Certainly an exciting and memorable moment," said Smith, who was thrilled with the debut, but disappointed with the team's loss. "We just got in this afternoon. I thought [Ventura] was just going to let us get our bearings, but I kind of like what he did. "He kind of throws in there in the mix. Just kind of gets some nerves out of the way and just let's us go and play. Obviously I've been working with [Minaya] for the past two months in Charlotte, and after he gets his jitters out, he started getting in on the zone and it was productive. That's what we like to see." QUOTABLE "Not to get overly philosophical, but adversity is part of life. The most learned times are when you have to deal with things that don't go your way. It's true in sport; it's true off the field. You find out more about character and those types of things when you have to endure difficulties. I hope these guys come out better for it, maybe not today or tomorrow, but somewhere down the road, that they're going to have something to tap into." -- Molitor, on snapping the losing streak "I thought they were joking with me in the bullpen. I knew Minaya was going in. They were kind of smirking and laughing and I wasn't too sure and they said, 'Hey, you better get going,' and I wasn't too sure what happened. But I felt comfortable as ever out there. I didn't feel out of place. [Home-plate umpire Greg Gibson] behind the plate said, 'You look comfortable as ever.' That was a little confidence booster." -- Smith REPLAY REVIEWS After the White Sox took the lead in the second inning on Frazier's homer, they added a pair of two-out singles from Tyler Saladino and Adam Eaton. On Eaton's single, a soft line drive into left-center, Saladino attempted to take third base, and left fielder Eddie Rosario's throw to third was not in time. The Twins challenged the play, and the safe call stood after a review. In the fourth inning, Max Kepler hit an 0-2 fastball from Quintana into the right-field seats, but first-base umpire Dana DeMuth ruled the ball was foul. A crew-chief review confirmed the call on the field of a foul ball. Kepler struck out looking two pitches later. It would have been his second homer in as many days. Todd Frazier, who homered earlier in the game, was ruled out on a slow roller to first to lead off the ninth. White Sox manager Robin Ventura challenged the call, and video replay overturned the call to give Frazier a second hit. WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Carlos Rodon goes for his fourth straight victory, which would be a career-high, as he takes the mound Friday night at Target Field with a first pitch of 7:10 p.m. CT. Rodon's has put together five straight quality starts, with his last non-quality start coming in Target Field on July 31. 6
Twins: Right-hander Kyle Gibson (5-8, 5.17 ERA) has loved facing the White Sox in his career, as he owns a 5-1 record and 1.80 ERA against Chicago in eight career starts. He will take the mound on Friday night for the Twins after allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Blue Jays in his last start. Flat tire inflates drama of Buxton's callup Do-Hyoung Park MLB.com September 2, 2016 MINNEAPOLIS -- On the official transaction report, the morning of Sept. 1, 2016, reads "Minnesota Twins recalled Byron Buxton from Rochester Red Wings" as Buxton became the Twins' first September callup with the rosters expanding. But Buxton's journey from Rochester to Minneapolis on Thursday was far more dramatic than that one sentence would suggest -- a journey that began in Rochester at 3:15 a.m. and ended with him hitting a three-run homer in his first at-bat back with the Twins in Minnesota's 8-5 victory over the White Sox. It's a 50-minute drive through the back roads of upstate New York to get to the airport, but midway through the journey, Buxton's rented car got a flat. Buxton had to walk three miles to find help. After finally getting his car serviced and moving his flight back to 9 a.m., Buxton was able to get to the airport and fly to Minneapolis -- only to find that his car at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport was missing. So after looking for 1 1/2 hours, he finally had to check with security, who revealed to him that they had the car. Buxton, sweatpants and all, finally walked into the Twins' clubhouse at 3:30 p.m. -- 3 1/2 hours before Thursday's game, in which he was slated to hit ninth and start in center field. It was lucky for the Twins that Buxton's travails didn't keep him from getting to Target Field, as his homer proved crucial in the club's win that snapped a 13-game losing streak. "It feels great," Buxton said. "It makes it even better that we won, especially after the two weeks we've had here, just going out there and playing side by side with these guys is all I could ask for, and I'm just very thankful that I got an opportunity to come back up here, and help us win." After the Twins hit four straight one-out singles off White Sox starter Jose Quintana in the second, Buxton capped the five-run rally by pulling a curveball to the second deck in left field, which traveled an estimated 403 feet, per Statcast. It was his first Major League homer since June 13 against the Angels. "You want to argue you want to see the consistent contact, a guy that finds a way to get on base and utilize his speed," said manager Paul Molitor. "But we'll take the homers when they come, especially on a night like tonight, a big three-run homer for him." Buxton had been swinging the bat well recently in Triple-A after working on his swing, as he homered four times last week en route to winning International League Batter of the Week honors. He hit.257 with five homers, two doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs in 20 games following the demotion. But he also struck out 31 times in 78 plate appearances. Molitor and Buxton both agreed that at this point, whether it's a good day or a bad day at the plate, every appearance at the Major League level is important for Buxton's development in the long run. As has been the case with fellow top prospect Jose Berrios, Buxton has been excellent at the Triple-A level, but hasn't been able to translate that success to the Majors. Buxton gives the Twins a needed healthy outfielder, as Robbie Grossman has been bothered by a sore oblique and isn't expected to swing a bat for several days. He's expected to see time in center with Logan Schafer, who was called up on Monday and will get looks at the corner outfield positions as well. The Twins had thought about leaving Buxton in Triple-A until the end of the Minor League season on Sept. 5, but chose to recall him earlier due to the matchups against the White Sox in the four-game series. With the Twins starting three left-handed hitters in the outfield and the White Sox scheduled to start two left-handed pitchers in the series, Molitor felt that a right-handed outfielder was needed. "It's kind of a need right now in terms of the timing of it, but it doesn't mean that we wouldn't have seen him here eventually," Molitor said. 7
Santana wiggles out of jams, keeps Twins in game Do-Hyoung Park MLB.com September 1, 2016 MINNEAPOLIS -- On Thursday night at Target Field, Twins ace Ervin Santana showed the 20,329 fans in attendance his best Harry Houdini impression. Inning after inning, Santana found himself in trouble with runners on base, but inning after inning, Santana was able to slither out of jams, while limiting the damage. In the end, it wasn't easy or pretty, but Santana's harrowing five innings were crucial to the Twins as they snapped their season-high 13-game losing streak with an 8-5 victory over the White Sox. "Not surprisingly, we broke the streak with Ervin on the mound, even though he had to fight," said manager Paul Molitor. "He's had some better games. I don't know if he's ever had to fight harder to get a win." Santana allowed a season-high 11 hits in his five innings, but somehow escaped with only two runs allowed. And of those two runs, one was a solo homer by Todd Frazier, which had nothing to do with all of the traffic on the basepaths that Santana had to deal with all night. "You look up there at one point, and they have 10 left on base and we have zero," Molitor said. "That was the big difference. He pitched out of jams." He allowed three straight singles in the first inning, but was bailed out by White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson getting hit by Melky Cabrera's sharp line drive, which resulted in an automatic out. He later struck out Justin Morneau to end the inning without allowing a run. In the second inning, he allowed two more singles, in addition to Frazier's homer, but again escaped the jam by inducing a groundout. He loaded the bases in the third, but again induced a groundout to end the threat. And to finish his outing in the fifth inning, he worked out of a first-andsecond, no-out jam with two strikeouts and a groundout. "It's tough, but at the same time, you don't think about it," Santana said. "You just try to make a good pitch, because when you don't have your good stuff, that's where you have to battle and show what you've got." During the Twins' 13-game losing streak, the main issue had been the pitching, not the hitting. Even though Santana's outing wasn't exactly dominant, it kept the Twins in the ballgame -- and that's all Minnesota's hot offense needed to get the losing streak monkey off the team's back. "Everybody seems more happy than yesterday," Santana said. "But still, we have three more games left to play [against the White Sox]." Buxton, Plouffe homer to lead Twins over White Sox 8-5 Associated Press September 2, 2016 MINNEAPOLIS -- Byron Buxton's trip back to Minnesota included an early morning wakeup, a flat tire on his rental car on the way to the airport, a three-mile walk and a changed flight, followed by the need to get his car out of security when he got back to the Twin Cities. The long, tiring trip was worth it Thursday night. Buxton homered in his return to the majors, and Trevor Plouffe continued his resurgence with a two-run shot as the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 8-5 to end a 13-game losing streak. "I'm about to go straight to the pillow," Buxton said. "I'm exhausted." Buxton started his third stint with Minnesota this season in surprising fashion, connecting for a three-run home run to cap a five-run second inning. The home run reached the second deck in left field and was Buxton's second of the season, his first in 34 games. The former top prospect has had a rough transition to the majors, hitting.199 entering Thursday in 109 career games the past two seasons. He was sent back to Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 7 after a 1-for-18 stretch saw his 2016 average dip to.193. "We're going to be looking for positive signs here," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He's still very young in terms of age and experience. He's 8
got a lot of work to do. But we all know that there's talent there that we're hoping to see that he can harness a little bit more consistently." Minnesota got to Chicago starter Jose Quintana, who entered the day leading the American League with a 2.77 ERA. Quintana (11-10) allowed seven runs and seven hits in five innings and saw his ERA rise to 3.05. "I mean disappointing with the homers, especially early," Quintana said. "It was a bad night for me." Ervin Santana (7-10) escaped trouble to win for the fourth time in five decisions. He gave up 11 hits and two walks, but allowed just two runs as the Twins snapped their losing streak, one off the franchise record for a season. Brandon Kintzler recorded his 13th save in 14 chances. "Everybody seems more happy than yesterday," Santana said. "But it's still, we have more games to play." Chicago has scored 171 runs, the second-fewest in the AL, since the All-Star break. The White Sox left runners in scoring position in each of the first five innings and left a total of 13 men on base in the game. Avisail Garcia showed the frustration when he snapped his bat over his knee after his second strikeout of the game in the seventh. "We left a lot of runs out there," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "When you look up there and see you've left 10 guys and they didn't leave any at one point; that really kind of tells the tale more than (Quintana)." Todd Frazier hit his 34th home run to open the scoring in the second for the White Sox. Jose Abreu connected for a two-run homer, his 20th, in the sixth. COME ON UP Buxton was Minnesota's lone call-up on Thursday with rosters expanding in September. Chicago added RHP Juan Minaya and C Kevan Smith from Triple-A Charlotte. Minaya, 25, was 5-6 with a 3.63 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 52 innings over 47 relief appearances since being claimed off waivers from Houston on June 22. Smith, 28, was recalled by the White Sox in April before going on the DL with a sacroiliac joint dysfunction without playing in a game. Smith was hitting.219 with eight home runs and 24 RBI for Charlotte this season. Minaya and Smith made their major league debuts in the eighth inning. Minaya pitched a scoreless inning. Smith lined out to center in his first at-bat. TRAINER'S ROOM White Sox: SS Tim Anderson left the game in the third with a bruised right calf and was announced by the team as day to day. He was hit by line drive by teammate Melky Cabrera in the first.... RHP Miguel Gonzalez (strained right groin) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday. Gonzalez took the loss while allowing seven runs -- six earned -- in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out seven. Twins: Pitchers Trevor May (low back strain) and Tommy Milone (left biceps tendinitis) each threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and are scheduled to throw in the bullpen again during the weekend. If all goes well, the two would make a simulated start sometime next week, Molitor said. UP NEXT RHP Kyle Gibson (5-8, 5.17 ERA) will start the second game of the four-game series for Minnesota on Friday against LHP Carlos Rodon (5-8, 3.91). Gibson has allowed nine earned runs over his past two starts but has given up just one earned run in 12 2/3 innings against the White Sox this season. Rodon has won his last three decisions and owns a 1.47 ERA in his past five starts. 9