MLB Game Recap - Minnesota at Chicago Sox
Thu Sep 17, 2020 2:10 PM EDT

BOS
5
MIA
3
F
MIN
3
CHW
4
F
ARI
3
LAA
7
F
SF
6
SEA
4
F
TB
3
BAL
1
F
STL
1
PIT
5
F
NYM
10
PHI
6
F
TOR
7
NYY
10
F
TEX
1
HOU
2
F
CLE
10
DET
3
F
BAL
6
TB
10
F
LAD
9
COL
3
F

September 17, 2020 2:10 PM

Final

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

R

H

E

Minnesota

0

1

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

3

8

0

Chicago Sox

0

0

0

1

1

0

2

0

x

4

9

1

W: Heuer (3-0)

L: Clippard (1-1)

S: Colome (12)

MIN - HR: Donaldson (5) , Buxton 2 (12)

CHW - HR: Abreu (17) , Encarnacion (9)

White Sox beat Twins 4-3 to clinch playoff spot
Thu Sep 17, 2020 8:18 PM

CHICAGO (AP) After clinching a postseason berth for the first time since 2008, the Chicago White Sox were low key during their on-field celebration.

Bigger bashes await greater achievements.

"We said we're going to save it for when we clinch our division," Eloy Jimenez said Thursday after his tiebreaking double capped a two-run, seventh-inning rally in a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. "We have 10 games left. We need to keep playing hard."

Chicago (33-17) opened a three-game lead over the second-place Twins (31-21) in the AL Central. The White Sox assured themselves of no worse than a wild-card berth.

Jose Abreu homered and drove in two runs and Edwin Encarnacion also homered for Chicago, which won three of four in the series.

"We're definitely bringing excitement back to the South Side," shortstop Tim Anderson said.

Chicago trailed 3-2 in the seventh when Abreu, who leds the major leagues with 51 RBIs, beat out an infield hit on a slow grounder to shortstop that drove in Jarrod Dyson from third base.

Jimenez, who had struck out in his three previous at-bats, followed with a double that drove in pinch-runner Yolmer Sanchez.

Byron Buxton homered twice, giving him seven in his last nine games and 12 this season. Josh Donaldson also went deep for Minnesota, whose lead for home-field advantage in the first round was cut to 1 1/2 games over the New York Yankees.

Donaldson barked at plate umpire Dan Bellino for the second time in the sixth inning after a strike was called on a checked swing on a 2-0 pitch. After manager Rocco Baldelli came out to speak with Bellino, Donaldson homered on the next offering and kicked dirt at home plate as he crossed it after rounding the bases.

Bellino ejected him immediately, and Donaldson, realizing he had missed home plate, returned to the plate to touch it and then argued as he kicked more dirt on it. Donaldson also had argued with Bellino on a 1-1 breaking ball in the first inning that appeared to be high but was called a strike, leading to a strikeout.

"We need Josh on the field, out there playing, and at third base," Baldelli said. "That's when we're at our best. And so that's really the end of it. I think we can move past it at his point, and go from here."

Codi Heuer (3-0) pitched a scoreless 1 2/3 innings, and Alex Colome got four outs for his 12th save in 13 chances.

Tyler Clippard (1-1) gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning.

The first five runs scored on solo homers.

Buxton homered in the second, Abreu tied in the fourth, and Buxton gave the Twins a 2-1 lead in the fifth with a 420-foot drive. Encarnacion tied it the bottom half.

Minnesota had a chance to extend the lead in the seventh when center fielder Luis Robert allowed Ryan Jeffers' fly ball to glance off his glove for an error. Buxton started the play on first and was near second and started to return when the ball fell, then sprinted home. Robert quickly retrieved the ball and fed cutoff man Nick Madrigal, who made a one-hop throw to catcher Yasmani Grandal for the tag.

ROSTER MOVE

RHP Zack Littell was sent outright to the Twins' alternate site at St. Paul after clearing waivers. Littell, who last appeared in a game on Aug. 21, has a 9.95 ERA in six games after going 6-0 with a 2.68 ERA last season.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Twins: Baldelli said there's a chance RHP Jake Odorizzi (blister) could pitch again this season but the team won't know his status for a couple more days. Odorizzi, making his first start in a month, had to leave Wednesday night's game in the fourth inning after the blister on his middle finger opened up.

White Sox: LHPs Aaron Bummer (nerve issue near biceps) and Carlos Rodon (shoulder, back) worked out on the field before the game.

UP NEXT

Twins: Minnesota moves eight miles north to Wrigley Field for the second leg of its week in Chicago to face the Cubs in a three-game series. LHP Rich Hill (2-1, 3.81 ERA) faces RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-4, 3.29) in the opener Friday night.

White Sox: RHP Jonathan Stiever (0-0, 2.45 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series Friday night at Cincinnati.

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Pitchers of Record

Minnesota IP H ER BB K ERA WHIP
T. Clippard (L, 1-1) 0.2 1 2 1 0 27.00 3.000
Chicago Sox IP H ER BB K ERA WHIP
C. Heuer (W, 3-0) 1.2 2 0 0 3 0.00 1.200
A. Colome (S, 12) 1.1 1 0 0 0 0.00 0.750

Batting Leaders

Minnesota AB H R HR RBI BB TB SB RC
B. Buxton 4 3 2 2 2 0 9 0 6.8
J. Donaldson 3 1 1 1 1 0 4 0 1.3
Chicago Sox AB H R HR RBI BB TB SB RC
J. Abreu 3 2 1 1 2 1 5 0 2.6
Y. Grandal 3 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 2.4

Team Comparison

MIN CHW
At Bats 35 32
Hits 8 9
Batting Average .229 .281
On Base Percentage .250 .343
Slugging Percentage 0.486 0.531
Doubles 0 2
Triples 0 0
Home Runs 3 2
Total Bases 17 17
Walks 1 2
Strikeouts 10 11
Stolen Bases 1 2
Caught Stealing 0 0
Runners Left On Base 6 7
Hits / At Bats with Runners In Scoring Position 0/2 3/9
Double Plays Fielded 3 0
Errors 0 1

2020 Reg Season - Series Tied 5-5

Date Result Winner Loser
Fri Jul 24 MIN 10 @ CHW 5 T. May L. Giolito
Sat Jul 25 MIN 3 @ CHW 10 D. Keuchel R. Dobnak
Sun Jul 26 MIN 14 @ CHW 2 K. Maeda R. Lopez
Mon Aug 31 CHW 8 @ MIN 5 M. Foster T. Rogers
Tue Sep 1 CHW 2 @ MIN 3 C. Thielbar J. Cordero
Wed Sep 2 CHW 1 @ MIN 8 J. Berrios R. Lopez
Mon Sep 14 MIN 1 @ CHW 3 A. Colome T. Rogers
Tue Sep 15 MIN 2 @ CHW 6 D. Dunning R. Dobnak
Wed Sep 16 MIN 5 @ CHW 1 C. Stashak L. Giolito
Thu Sep 17 MIN 3 @ CHW 4 C. Heuer T. Clippard

Game Information

Stadium: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 0
Game Time: 3:20
Weather: 67F, Clear
Wind:
Umpires: Home Plate - ?, First Base - ?, Second Base - ?, Third Base - ?