TWINS 4, WHITE SOX 2 (1st game)
WHITE SOX 6, TWINS 3 (2nd game)
Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the second game of a doubleheader to spoil Zack Littell’s major league debut and help Chicago bounce back from a late lapse in the opener.
In the first game, Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth against Nate Jones (2-2) as the Twins ruined a stellar start by White Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez.
Abreu, who hit an RBI double in the opener, hit a first-pitch fastball from Littell (0-1) left over the middle of the plate onto the grass berm beyond center field. With an RBI single by Kevan Smith and an RBI double by Adam Engel, the White Sox staked starter Lucas Giolito (4-6) to a 4-0 lead.
Littell, added as the 26th player for the doubleheader, was acquired last July 30 from the New York Yankees in a trade for starting pitcher Jaime Garcia. The 22-year-old got nine outs, allowing six runs on six hits and four walks.
Escobar did his best to bring the Twins back again, with RBI doubles in the third and the eighth innings. The White Sox bullpen held this time, though. Luis Avilan struck out Max Kepler with men on second and third in the eighth, and Joakim Soria fanned Mitch Garver. Soria had runners at the corners in the ninth, but he finished his fifth save in seven opportunities.
Escobar went 5 for 8 with five RBIs in the doubleheader.
Tyler Duffey (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory in the first game, and Fernando Rodney pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 16 attempts and 11th in a row.
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