MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota starter Jose Berrios allowed two runs and four hits in eight strong innings and Miguel Sano’s solo blast in the third inning gave the Twins the lead for good in a 4-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.
Berrios (7-1), who was 3-7 with an 8.02 ERA in 14 starts for Minnesota as a rookie, struck out eight and walked one. Brandon Kintzler pitched a scoreless ninth for his 19th save in 22 opportunities.
Trailing 2-1 heading to the bottom of the third inning, the Twins jumped on David Holmberg for three runs (one earned) starting with Sano’s leadoff homer. Sano turned on Holmberg’s 3-0 fastball, sending it 414 feet into the second deck in right-center field for his 18th home run of the season.
After Robbie Grossman reached on an error by shortstop Tim Anderson, Kennys Vargas singled him to third and he scored on Max Kepler’s single. Vargas advanced to third and scored when Ehire Adrianza beat out a potential inning-ending double-play ball.
Holmberg (1-1) was lifted in favor of right hander Gregory Infante with one out in the fourth and Twins second baseman Brian Dozier on first after a leadoff walk. Holmberg allowed four runs (two earned), seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Dozier advanced to second on his 10th stolen base of the season, leading Renteria to intentionally walk Sano. Grossman drew a walk to load the bases, but Vargas grounded into a double play to end the threat.
The White Sox got to Berrios early on Avisail Garcia’s first-inning RBI single that drove in Allen Hanson, who led off with a walk and advanced to second on Melky Cabrera’s groundout to Dozier.
Garcia added a double in the ninth to finish 2-for-4.
The first-inning earned run was only the second that Berrios has surrendered in eight opening innings this season.
Holmberg stranded two Minnesota runners in the first two innings, but the Twins tied the score in the second when Dozier’s RBI double scored Byron Buxton.
Adam Engel restored the short-lived Chicago lead when he led off the third inning with a double and trotted home from third on Cabrera’s double-play ball.
Berrios went on to retire six of the next seven batters. Only Garcia reached on an error by Adrianza in the fourth.
NOTES: The Twins announced plans to play the Cleveland Indians in a two-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 17-18, 2018, in what will serve as home games for Minnesota. The games mark the fifth time MLB regular-season games will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium but the first time in San Juan for the Twins and the Indians. … The White Sox rested 3B Todd Frazier after he went 1-for-5 in the series opener. Frazier is mired in a 3-for-30 slump in his last eight games dating to June 12. … Rehabbing Minnesota starters Phil Hughes and Hector Santiago each saw action for Triple-A Rochester. Santiago started and threw 57 pitches in three scoreless innings, allowing no hits while striking out two and walking two. Hughes tossed one scoreless inning on 19 pitches with one walk.
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