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Twins' Santiago continues mastery of White Sox

[May 10, 2017] CHICAGO -- Minnesota Twins left-hander Hector Santiago flashed a big smile.

After earning his fifth straight victory against his old team, he knew what was about to happen. Santiago limited the Chicago White Sox to two runs in 6 2/3 innings as Minnesota cruised to a 7-2 victory Tuesday night.

"I'll have some texts here in a few minutes from those guys saying, 'Stop killing us,'" said Santiago, who was a 30th round draft pick by the White Sox in 2006. "This is where I grew up in baseball and this is where they gave me my first chance, my first opportunity. I respect this organization, I love them, but if I can go out there and beat them every time, that's my goal."

Twins hitters did their part to make sure Santiago (4-1) achieved his goal.

Byron Buxton matched a career high in hits as he went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Kennys Vargas slammed a two-run homer for Minnesota (16-14), which posted double-digits in hits for the ninth time this season.

Ehire Adrianza added a two-run single while Joe Mauer and Max Kepler had RBI singles as the Twins rebounded from allowing 28 runs in consecutive home losses to the Boston Red Sox.

Minnesota won without two key starters, third baseman Miguel Sano and second baseman Brian Dozier. Sano served a one-game suspension for his role in a bench-clearing incident April 22, while Dozier missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle.

"It was a good win to start the road trip out right," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Obviously, when you miss a couple of your key guys, you're not sure how it's going to play out."

Jose Abreu finished 1-for-3 with an RBI single to lead the White Sox. Chicago (15-16) lost its fourth game in a row and fell below .500 for the first time since April 23.

"The story of this game simply was we couldn't minimize their damage as they continued to tack on runs, and we weren't able to respond," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "It's that simple."

Santiago pitched around several trouble spots to win his third decision in a row. He walked five and struck out six.

Dating to the end of last season, Santiago has allowed three runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts.

"I'll take it, for sure," Santiago said. "The five walks is something that I don't want to do. ... But if I can go out there and give the team a chance to win and compete, battle through some rough innings, I'll take it any time."

White Sox right-hander Mike Pelfrey (0-3) allowed three runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He blamed himself for giving up three runs right after Chicago broke through to grab a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.

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Twins starting pitcher Hector Santiago (53) throws against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

"I'm pretty disappointed in myself for that," Pelfrey said. "That kills the team. That's not good.

"Obviously, I need to get deeper in the game. As good as the bullpen has been, I can't ask them to pick up four innings every time I pitch. That's frustrating on my part."

The Twins broke open the game with four runs in the sixth inning to seize a 7-2 advantage.

Adrianza started the outburst with a two-run single to right field and took second on a fielding error by Avisail Garcia. After getting his first hit with the Twins, Adrianza scored on Buxton's RBI single off Chris Beck to make it 6-2.

Mauer followed with an RBI single to left field.

The White Sox jumped to a 2-0 lead in the third inning on run-scoring singles by Tyler Saladino and Abreu.

Minnesota responded with three runs in the fourth to go ahead 3-2.

Jorge Polanco singled, stole second base and scored on a hard-hit single to left field by Kepler. Vargas followed with a two-run shot over the right-field wall for his fourth home run of the season.

"It was up in the zone, and I put on good contact," Vargas said.

NOTES: Twins 3B Miguel Sano served a one-game suspension for shoving Detroit Tigers C James McCann during a bench-clearing altercation April 22. Sano appealed the suspension but learned Tuesday that Major League Baseball upheld the ruling. ... White Sox DH Matt Davidson returned to the lineup after sitting out the previous two games. Davidson went 0-for-4. ... Twins 2B Brian Dozier missed his third game in a row because of a sprained left ankle. ... White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon (left elbow bursitis) is rehabilitating at the team's spring training facility in Arizona, general manager Rick Hahn said. The club has not set a specific timetable for Rodon's return to the rotation.

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