LDN - Sports

White Sox pound Twins after long delay

[June 23, 2017] MINNEAPOLIS -- Waiting through a lengthy rain delay was rewarding for the Chicago White Sox.

The rain and starting pitching issues just made Thursday another long day for the Minnesota Twins.

Matt Davidson had three hits, including a towering home run, while Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier each supplied first-inning, two-run homers in Chicago's 9-0 win against Minnesota on Thursday.

Jose Quintana (4-8) enjoyed the run support to win his second straight start and the White Sox snapped a three-game losing streak. The game was delayed for 4 hours, 50 minutes at the start because of persistent rain showers.

"It's miserable," Frazier said of the delay. "You try and find some things to do. Play cards. Hang out with the guys. If you had a set time, it'd help. But we came out banging, man. We took it to 'em in that first inning. That was huge."

As soon as play began, Chicago jumped on Twins starter NikTurley's offerings. Turley (0-2) got only two outs in his third major league start, allowing five runs on six hits. He was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester after the game.

"You just watch the inning unfold, there was ball one on, I think, eight of the nine hitters he faced," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "It just got out of hand. I wanted to try and get him through because I needed some innings, but we got to four and they got a couple more hits. I tried to stop the bleeding."

Quintana did his part after getting a big lead. He pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings while giving up five hits and striking out nine.

Turley struggled with command, getting behind each of the first five batters. Abreu lined a homer to left as the third batter of the inning and Frazier followed Avisail Garcia's hit with another two-run homer.

Adam Engel had four hits and his first career RBIs for the White Sox, who avoided being swept at Target Field for the fifth time in the park's eight-year history.

"I tip my hat to them, because obviously they're the ones dealing with all the chaos, so to speak," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said of the players dealing with the rain delay. "They're the ones who play the game. They're the ones who have to get their minds ready to go out and perform. They've been able to respond well. That's just part of who they are, their character, and hopefully that's something they'll be able to continue to do."

Davidson had his team-leading 17th homer to lead off the fifth. He's second to New York's Aaron Judge in homers among American League rookies and has homered in seven of his past 10 games.

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White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier (21) hits a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Turley has been the last minor league recall the Twins have used to try and fill in the depleted and ineffective rotation, but the left-hander has struggled in each of his three starts, not pitching past the fifth inning in any outing. He owns a 16.39 ERA in his three career appearances.

"I feel like today it was a lot to do with my mentality," Turley said. "There's no excuse. It's just I went out there and I was a little cautious instead of pitching my game. So, I started getting behind guys. I know if I get ahead and stay aggressive in the zone then I'll be alright. But I kept getting behind guys, you can't do that here."

Quintana has started to round into form after a disappointing start to his season. The left-hander has a 2.25 ERA (six earned runs, 24 innings) in four June starts after starting the month with a 5.60 ERA.

"I'm really happy with changeup today," Quintana said. "Almost tonight, right? It's a long day here. All my stuff was real good."

NOTES: The delay at the start of the game due to rain was the longest delay in Twins history. ... Minnesota placed INF Ehire Adrianza on the disabled list after the game with abdominal issues. Manager Paul Molitor said Adrianza will be having tests to determine the problem. ... Each of Chicago 1B Jose Abreu's 13 home runs has come on the road this season. The last homer he hit at home was Sept. 15, 2016, against Cleveland. ... Twins LHP Hector Santiago (left shoulder strain) got through a successful rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday but the team is waiting to decide the next step of Santiago's rehab. Santiago threw three hitless innings and gave up one walk. ... White Sox manager Rick Renteria expressed his excitement in Chicago returning home for 10 games starting Friday against Oakland. Chicago has played 15 of its past 19 games on the road. ... Minnesota travels to Cleveland for a three-game series with the American League Central-leading Indians to start an 11-game road trip.

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