Twins set HR mark, complete sweep of White Sox

[August 30, 2019]    Jake Cave hit two home runs and C.J. Cron homered, doubled and drove in three runs as the visiting Minnesota Twins jumped out to a 9-0 lead and then cruised to a 10-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon.

White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

Cave's home run leading off the third inning was the 139th of the season hit on the road by the Twins, breaking the major league single-season record set by the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

Nelson Cruz had two hits and three RBIs, Jonathan Schoop had three hits and a run scored, and Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario each had two hits for Minnesota, which completed a three-game series sweep of the White Sox with its fifth straight victory.

Jose Berrios (11-7), despite hurling four wild pitches, snapped a four-start winless drought by allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out eight, improving to 10-2 in 13 career starts against the White Sox. Randy Dobnak gave up two unearned runs in three innings of relief to pick up his first major league save.

Jose Abreu went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI, and Eloy Jimenez and Yolmer Sanchez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Chicago. Dylan Cease (3-7) suffered the loss, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and a walk in two-plus innings. He struck out three.

Minnesota started the game with five consecutive singles en route to a four-run first inning, including RBI singles by Cruz and Rosario. Cron added a two-run single later in the fame.

The Twins extended their lead to 6-0 in the second on a two-run single by Cruz, driving in Schoop and Polanco, who reached on a single and walk, respectively. Cave and Cron led off the third with back-to-back homers to make it 8-0 and a Luis Arraez added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to up the lead to 9-0.

Chicago cut it to 9-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Sanchez singled in Jimenez (who had singled and gone to third on a double by Matt Skole) and Skole scored on a wild pitch.

An RBI single by Jimenez in the sixth made it 9-3 but Cave led off the seventh his second homer of the game and seventh of the season to increase Minnesota's lead to 10-3. The White Sox took advantage of a pair of errors by Polanco in the ninth to add two more runs on a force out by Leury Garcia and a double by Abreu.

--Field Level Media

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