The White Sox didn’t need fireworks to beat the Twins 7-4. They just kept stacking little things together, and Minnesota kept leaning on the long ball with not much else to show for it.
Chicago jumped first and kept answering every time the Twins blinked. Miguel Vargas opened the scoring with a two-out single in the first after Dean Kremer’s no-hit bid vanished, then Andrew Benintendi brought him home with another hit. Colson Montgomery followed with a homer, and suddenly the White Sox had a fast 3-0 cushion.
Minnesota punched back right away. Luke Keaschall singled to start the home half of the first, Brooks Lee launched a two-run homer, and Kody Clemens added another blast to make it 4-3. But that was about as good as it got for the Twins’ offense.
The Sox tied it in the second, then reclaimed the lead in the third when Munetaka Murakami doubled and scored on a Benintendi double. They added another in the fourth on a sequence that mixed a leadoff single, a walk to the .144-hitting Drew Romo, a ground ball, and a passed ball by Ryan Jeffers that allowed a run to score.
Kremer’s night kept spiraling. He walked Miguel Vargas in the fifth and was finally removed after 4.0 innings, having allowed 7 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned runs, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Taylor Rogers and Travis Adams followed in relief, but Chicago kept finding ways to move runners and squeeze out extra bases.
Minnesota got chances, just not enough clean ones. Trevor Larnach had a strong night, finishing 2-for-4, and the two rookies, Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins, were involved throughout.
Jenkins picked up his first hit in the fourth and later drew a walk, while Culpepper had a leadoff single in the ninth. But the Twins kept running into dead ends, including multiple double plays.
Chicago padded the lead in the eighth on another leadoff double, a fly ball that moved the runner, and a passed ball that brought him in. Minnesota answered with a Josh Bell single, but that rally died on yet another ground into a double play. In the ninth, Keaschall singled to keep hope alive and Lee came up as the tying run, but he lined out hard to center, and Jeffers grounded out to end it.
The Twins fell to 4.0 games back in the chase for the last wild card spot, with four teams ahead of them.
Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens homered for Minnesota, while Larnach, Jenkins, and Culpepper had the notable offensive moments. On the other side, Benintendi and Montgomery helped drive the White Sox attack, and Chicago’s ability to keep tacking on runs made the difference.
Jeffers had a rough one at the plate and behind it, going 0-for-5 with two passed balls. The radio note that he went to the State Fair today explained part of it, at least according to the source’s version of events.
In Other News...
Twins Just Gave Up On A Once-Intriguing Arm For Walker Jenkins
Walker Jenkins is up, and the move came with the kind of roster reshuffling that usually says as much about where a club is headed as who it is calling on. The Twins selected the contract of the highly regarded outfielder and sent Alan Roden back to Triple-A St. Paul to clear the active roster spot, a reminder that even late in the season they are still willing to make space for a younger bat they believe can matter sooner rather than later.
To get Jenkins in place, Minnesota also had to cut bait on a pitcher who had once looked like an interesting reclamation project. Woo-Suk Go was designated for assignment after control issues in Triple-A, and the right-hander will now go through waivers before potentially having the option to choose free agency if he clears. It leaves the Twins with a clearer look at Jenkins and a little less patience for a once-promising arm whose margin for error has thinned quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Already Have One Big Concern About Walker Jenkins
Walker Jenkins is on track to join the Twins for Fridays game, pending the roster moves needed to clear room on both the active and 40-man rosters, and that alone is enough to get the fan base buzzing. The highly regarded prospect has long carried top-20 status on the strength of his five-tool upside, giving Minnesota the kind of young talent that can change the conversation around a lineup almost immediately.
Still, the excitement comes with a familiar catch for anyone who has followed Jenkins rise: the injuries that have already interrupted his playing time. Twins fans are eager to see the talent translate at the major-league level, but his availability has been the lingering concern from the start, and it is the first thing looming over this call-up as the organization moves toward making it official. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Finally Have A New Reason For Fans To Watch Again
The Twins have turned to a fresh source of intrigue at a time when the season has felt heavy with absences. With Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton both sidelined, Minnesota has promoted Walker Jenkins for his major league debut, giving fans a first look at the organizations top prospect and one of the most closely watched young players in the system.
Jenkins arrives with plenty of momentum after a strong stretch in Triple-A, where he posted a .323 batting average and a .976 OPS. Ranked No. 15 overall by MLB Pipeline, he has already built enough of a reputation to make this call-up feel significant, and now the focus shifts to how quickly he can translate that production to the majors. [Read more 🡒]