CHICAGO - The Twins needed a jolt, and Kaelen Culpepper delivered one from a spot he’d never occupied before.
For the first time in his major league career, Culpepper batted second, and the rookie responded with a single, a hustled-out potential double play ball and a double in Minnesota’s 6-4 win over the White Sox on Saturday night at Rate Field. He scored twice and had a hand in every Twins scoring inning.
Ryan Jeffers supplied the loudest swing of the night with a three-run homer, but Culpepper was the catalyst. His fourth-inning single was Minnesota’s first hit, and his RBI double in the seventh helped give the Twins some breathing room after Chicago had tightened things up.
Culpepper, 23, was playing in his 24th major league game and had never hit higher than sixth before Saturday. With lefty Anthony Kay starting for Chicago and Culpepper swinging the bat well lately, manager Derek Shelton moved him into the No. 2 spot.
The switch paid off quickly.
Taj Bradley opened with a rough first inning, giving up three runs before settling down and keeping Minnesota close. By the time the fourth inning arrived, the Twins had managed only one baserunner, and that came on an error.
Then Culpepper started the comeback with a leadoff single. Josh Bell followed with a double, and both runs crossed to trim the deficit to 3-2.
One inning later, with two on and nobody out, Culpepper hit a ball to the right side that looked like it might turn into a double play. Miguel Vargas got the lead runner Ryan Kreidler, but Culpepper beat the throw to first. Jeffers came up next and launched the three-run homer that put Minnesota ahead for good.
In Other News...
Torii Hunter Admits One Twins Decision Still Haunts Him
Torii Hunters 2014 free-agent decision is one of those late-career crossroads that still invites second-guessing. Faced with a choice between returning to Minnesota or heading to Kansas City for what turned out to be his final season, Hunter followed the pull of legacy and came back to the Twins, the franchise where he had already built so much of his reputation.
Years later, the alternate path still lingers in the background because the Royals went on to win the World Series that season. Hunter has since acknowledged the what-ifs that come with that kind of timing, especially for a veteran chasing one last shot at a title before retiring after the 2015 season with Minnesota. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Ryans Return Wont Mean Much Unless One Thing Follows
Joe Ryans path back to the Twins rotation is starting to look real, with the right-hander coming off a rehab appearance for Triple-A St. Paul and another bullpen session expected soon. He has been out since early August because of a mild left glute strain, and the Twins have every reason to feel encouraged by how he looked in that outing as they work him back toward major league game action.
The timetable now points toward a possible return against the Tigers as early as Monday, which would give Minnesota a needed rotation boost at a key point in the season. Still, the bigger question is not simply when Ryan takes the ball again, but whether the next step follows the one the Twins need most, because a clean return to the mound only matters if it opens the door to the kind of consistency they were counting on before the injury. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Rally Kept Their Playoff Hopes Alive With One Huge Swing
The Twins had to work through an early hole against the White Sox, and Taj Bradleys debut with Minnesota followed the kind of uneven script that can happen in a September game with everything hanging around the edges. Bradley was tagged for a pair of early home runs but settled in enough to keep the offense within reach, while Ryan Jeffers and Josh Bell helped the lineup chip away and flip the game back in Minnesotas favor.
Jeffers ended up providing the biggest swing of the night, and suddenly a game that had started with the Twins on their heels carried the feel of a survival test instead. Bradleys five innings were enough to get Minnesota into the late stages with a lead, even after the early damage and a pitch count that kept his outing from stretching any deeper. [Read more 🡒]