Preview: Twins at White Sox

[May 09, 2017]  The Minnesota Twins won seven of nine games before watching the pitching staff implode in back-to-back losses over the weekend. The Twins will try to get the staff back on track when they open a six-game road trip by visiting the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

Minnesota was outscored 28-7 by the Boston Red Sox in the two losses and needed three different relievers to get through the ninth inning on Sunday as a close game turned into a blowout with a 10-run final frame. The Twins had little trouble holding down the White Sox offense in six games last month, allowing an average of 2.2 runs in the two series but going just 3-3 while the offense sputtered. Chicago is coming home looking for a win after getting swept in a three-game series at Baltimore over the weekend to finish off a 4-6 trip. The White Sox will try to put some runs together on Tuesday in support of starter Mike Pelfrey, who is going up against one of his former teams while opposing Minnesota's Hector Santiago.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins LH Hector Santiago (3-1, 2.78 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Mike Pelfrey (0-2, 5.02)

Santiago has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a start and earned a win at Oakland on Wednesday while yielding three runs and four hits in six frames. The 29-year-old struggled a bit with his control in the last two turns and issued a total of seven walks in 11 frames. Santiago, who began his career with Chicago, is 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA in six starts against his original franchise.

Pelfrey is still looking for his first win and has yet to complete six innings in three turns since joining the rotation. The veteran worked a season-high 5 1/3 innings at Kansas City on Wednesday but was hit with the loss while allowing three runs and five hits. Pelfrey spent 2013-2015 with Minnesota and went 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three starts against the Twins as a member of the Detroit Tigers last season.

WALK-OFFS

1. White Sox DH Cody Asche has six hits and 20 strikeouts on the season.

2. Twins RHP Matt Belisle had a string of four straight scoreless appearances come to an end when he allowed six runs while recording one out on Sunday.

3. Minnesota 2B Brian Dozier (ankle) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Twins 9, White Sox 7

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