Berrios, Twins pull away, knock off White Sox

[September 17, 2019]  Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Jose Berrios allowed two runs over 7 1/3 innings en route to his 13th win as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Monday night in Minneapolis.

Mitch Garver had two hits, including an RBI double, and Marwin Gonzalez scored twice for Minnesota (92-58) which increased its American League Central Division lead to five games over the idle Cleveland Indians (87-63) while reducing its magic number to eight.

Berrios allowed five hits and walked two while striking out eight to improve to 11-2 in 14 career starts against the White Sox, including 4-1 in five starts this season. Taylor Rogers retired the final two batters for his 27th save.

James McCann and Eloy Jimenez homered and Yoan Moncada doubled and had two hits for Chicago (65-85) which lost for the fifth time in its last six games.

Reynaldo Lopez (9-14) suffered the loss. He allowed five runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings, with two walks and two strikeouts.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Leury Garcia led off with a single, advanced to third on Moncada's double and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jose Abreu.

The White Sox made it 2-0 in the second when McCann led off with his 17th home run of the year, a 389-foot drive to left-center that hit the top of the fence and bounced into the bleachers.

Minnesota tied it in the bottom of the second as Miguel Sano and Gonzalez led off with back-to-back singles, Jorge Polanco drove in Sano with a sacrifice fly, and Nelson Cruz brought Gonzalez home with a single.

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

The Twins took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Polanco led off with a double and scored two outs later on Garver's double off the bottom of the right field wall.

Minnesota increased its lead to 5-2 in the sixth on a cue-shot, two-run single off the end of the bat of Arraez that took a right turn and spun past a diving third baseman Moncada and bounced into left field.

Jimenez ended the scoring with his 28th home run leading off the ninth off reliever Sergio Romo, a 414-foot drive into the second deck in left-center.

--Field Level Media

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