Cruz, Twins power past White Sox

[August 21, 2019]    Nelson Cruz homered and doubled three times, Max Kepler hit his 34th home run of the season to go with a double and three RBIs, and Jorge Polanco also homered to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 14-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (40) pitches in the first inning against Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Cruz finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs. C.J. Cron had a three-run double, and Eddie Rosario had two hits and two RBIs for Minnesota, which increased its American League Central lead to three games over the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Pineda (9-5) picked up the win, allowing four runs on six hits over seven innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out four while improving to 3-0 against Chicago this season.

Tim Anderson homered, doubled and scored twice, and Jose Abreu also homered for Chicago, which lost for the eighth time in its past nine games at Target Field. Reynaldo Lopez (7-11) took the loss, allowing seven runs (three earned) on six hits over six innings.

Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a two-out RBI double by Anderson, driving in Yolmer Sanchez, who had singled, and Abreu's 28th homer of the season, a two-run shot into the left field bleachers.

The Twins cut it to 3-2 in the bottom of the third when Mitch Garver led off with a double off the right field wall and scored two outs later on Kepler's 391-foot homer to right-center.

Cruz tied it in the fourth with a leadoff homer to left, his 33rd of the season and 14th in his past 18 games.

Minnesota then took advantage of an error by first baseman Abreu to score four unearned runs in the fifth and grab a 7-3 lead.

After Jake Cave singled with two outs, Kepler hit a dribbler in front of home plate, but Abreu had Welington Castillo's throw graze off his glove for an error to keep the inning alive. Jorge Polanco was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Cruz lined a two-run double off the right field wall. Rosario followed with a two-run single to center.

Anderson led off the sixth with his 13th homer to cut it to 7-4.

The Twins broke the game open with a seven-run eighth, highlighted by Cron's bases-loaded double off the center field wall, a two-run homer by Polanco and RBI doubles by Miguel Sano and Kepler.

--Field Level Media

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