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 Instead, he used a mound visit by pitching coach Rick Anderson to
reset his pitch selection and escape a fourth-inning jam with three
straight strikeouts in the Twins' 6-4 win against the Chicago White
Sox.
After giving up two runs on four straight hits to start the inning,
cutting Minnesota's lead to 4-2, May didn't let it get any worse. He
allowed just one more run in his six-inning performance and set a
new career high with 10 strikeouts to earn his third straight win.
"I've always kind of been a strikeout guy and being aggressive has
allowed that to happen," May said. "Getting the first couple strikes
and then giving them some of my best stuff when I'm ahead has
translated into some swings and misses, and it was biggest in the
fourth, to be able to get those (strikeouts). To get out of that
inning and hold the lead was a big thing for me."
It was also big for the Twins (63-86), helping them snap a four-game
losing skid to salvage the final game of the series against the
White Sox (68-81).
May, who was ranked by Baseball America as the Twins' eighth-best
prospect, was dominant other than the start of the fourth. He didn't
walk a batter, struck out four in a row on two separate occasions
and posted just the second double-digit strikeout performance of the
Twins' season.
"He had the one inning where he got himself (into) a little jam,"
Minnesota manager Ron Gardenshire said. "(Anderson) went out there
and told him to trust his stuff and pitch off the fastball, and
after he started doing that again, I think you saw him go right
through them and it was a nice performance by him."
Right-hander Hector Noesi (8-10) took the loss for Chicago, which
had a four-game win streak end. The win gave Minnesota its second
straight victory in the season series against Chicago, edging the
White Sox 10-9 in 19 games this year.
Third baseman Trevor Plouffe went 1-for-3 and hit a home run for the
second straight game and center fielder Jordan Schafer hit a two-run
homer in the fourth to lead the Twins offensively.
First baseman Jose Abreu led Chicago offensively. He went 2-for-4
with his 35th homer and drove in two runs. The solo homer off
Minnesota left-handed closer Glen Perkins in the ninth also tied Ron
Kittle for the most home runs by a White Sox rookie.
Third baseman Conor Gillaspie also went 1-for-3 with an RBI for
Chicago and catcher Adrian Nieto hit his second career home run.
"All my respect goes to Ron Kittle," Abreu said through an
interpreter. "Unfortunately I've met so many people that I'm sorry,
I don't recall having met him. But my respects to him for having had
the rookie year he had. Now that we share a record, I'm really proud
of the accomplishment."
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The Twins saddled the White Sox with a 4-0 deficit for the second
straight game and then had to battle to keep the lead. Minnesota got
two runs off Noesi in the second on three hits, highlighted by
Plouffe's solo homer, and added two more in the fourth on Schafer's
first homer of the season.
Chicago got the two back against May to start the fourth on RBI
singles by Abreu and Gillaspie, but those three straight strikeouts
ended the rally abruptly. Nieto's homer in the fifth made it 4-3,
but that was as close as the White Sox would get.
Minnesota's bullpen took care of the rest, bolstered by insurance
runs in the seventh and ninth. Perkins, who blew his sixth save in
the nightcap of the doubleheader Saturday, closed it out in the
ninth for his 34th save.
Noesi went 6 2/3 innings for Chicago and allowed five runs on eight
hits and two walks. It was his first time allowing that many runs
since Aug. 15, when the Toronto Blue Jays also scored five runs off
him.
"I'm feeling fine," Noesi said. "I was just off a little bit with my
mechanics. I'm trying to stay there and give my team six or seven
innings."
NOTES: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said RHP Anthony Swarzak will
likely make the spot start Monday against the Detroit Tigers that
was created when LHP Tommy Milone (neck soreness) could not pitch.
... Gardenhire gave rookie 1B Kennys Vargas the day off Sunday,
after he went a combined 0-for-8 in the doubleheader. Gardenhire
also said starting 2B Brian Dozier was showing signs of wearing down
as the doubleheader wrapped up. ... White Sox manager Robin Ventura
said he would not pitch ace LHP Chris Sale on short rest just to get
him an extra start to boost his chances in the race for the American
League Cy Young Award. ... Ventura said he thinks rookie 1B Jose
Abreu should still be considered for the American League's MVP award
despite the White Sox's subpar season as a team. ... Veteran 1B Paul
Konerko (broken bone, left hand) is targeting his return to action
for either the end of the next series at the Kansas City Royals, or
the start of a series that starts Friday in Tampa Bay.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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