MLB Game Preview - Minnesota at Chicago Sox

Sat Jul 27, 2019 7:10 PM EDT

Chicago White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer enters each game with a negative connotation on his back.

While Bummer may not be able to help his downer of a surname, the good news for the White Sox is that he can control hitters.

Bummer has allowed one earned run and struck out five in his past seven games and has a 1.69 ERA in 32 appearances overall entering Saturday's home game against the Minnesota Twins. The durable left-hander remains motivated as he helps anchor the back end of the Chicago bullpen.

"Sustained success is goal No. 1," Bummer told the Chicago Sun-Times. "No. 2 is to get better every day. The sky is the limit if I'm doing those. ... I don't care if it's the first three outs, last three outs or six outs in the middle."

Bummer, 25, compiled a 4.36 ERA over parts of two major league seasons before 2019. Diligence during the offseason and spring training has helped springboard him to a breakthrough this season.

Bummer has cultivated a sinking, two-seam fastball to accompany the rest of his arsenal, fueling Chicago's optimism about his future.

"The past two years I showed glimpses of what I can do, glimpses of consistency and the life of the stuff I have," Bummer said. "This year, with all the work I did in the offseason and having immediate success, yeah, it propels you forward. And it is rewarding to go through all that, and then to finally hit that rhythm ... not just for two outings or a month but for the sustained success we all dream of."

The White Sox are aiming to snap a four-game losing streak. Minnesota has won the first two games of the four-game set behind the latest doses of its season-long power.

When Max Kepler blasted a three-run home run during the second inning of Friday's 6-2 victory, the Twins made major league history by becoming the fastest club to hit 200 homers in a season, accomplishing the feat in their 103rd game.

The Twins smacked five home runs in Thursday's 10-3 win, marking the ninth time they have done so in a single season, another major league record. Nelson Cruz led the way with the first three-homer game of his career.

"A guy like Nelson Cruz doesn't have to change his approach to try to hit a ball over the fence," Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He's a gifted hitter who just happens to be a strong individual, and when he hits the ball on the barrel and puts a good swing on it, an under-control good quality swing, it has a chance to leave the yard and not by a little bit."

Left-hander Martin Perez (8-3, 4.37 ERA) will look to stretch the Twins' winning streak to three games as he opposes the White Sox for the first time this season. Perez is 3-1 with a 4.88 ERA in four career starts against Chicago.

Right-hander Ivan Nova (5-9, 5.49 ERA) is set to start for Chicago in his first appearance since defeating the Miami Marlins in a complete game on Tuesday. Nova yielded home runs to Cruz and Kepler as part of a 10-3 home loss to the Twins on June 29. He is 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA in five career appearances (four starts) against Minnesota.

--Field Level Media