White Sox score nine unanswered runs, rout Twins

[May 12, 2021]  Yasmani Grandal hit a three-run homer, Jose Abreu added a two-run shot and the Chicago White Sox overpowered the visiting Minnesota Twins for a 9-3 win Tuesday night.

Tim Anderson, Adam Eaton, Leury Garcia and Nick Madrigal drove in one run apiece for the White Sox, who won their fourth straight game to match their longest winning streak of the season.

Jorge Polanco homered for the Twins, who have lost five of six. Minnesota scored the first three runs of the game before allowing Chicago to score nine unanswered.

White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet (1-2) earned his first major league victory. The team's first-round draft pick from 2020 retired both batters he faced as one of five relievers to follow Dylan Cease, who gave up three runs on five hits in five innings.

Twins right-hander Jorge Alcala (0-1) gave up two runs on two hits in one inning to take the loss. Starter Kenta Maeda did not factor into the decision after allowing three runs on four hits in five innings.

Minnesota jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second. Polanco started the scoring by socking a solo home run with one out. It was his third homer of the season and his second in the past three games.

Later in the inning, rookie catcher Ben Rortvedt tallied his second career RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Willians Astudillo scored the third run soon after on a sacrifice fly by Luis Arraez.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Andrelton Simmons (9) is tagged out at third base in the second inning against Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (10) at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

The White Sox evened the score at 3 with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the second. Grandal belted a Maeda split-finger pitch an estimated 401 feet to right field for his third homer.

In the sixth, the White Sox pulled ahead 5-3 on a two-run shot by Abreu off Alcala. The reigning American League Most Valuable Player hit a first-pitch slider an estimated 414 feet to left-center field for his team-leading seventh homer.

Chicago added two more runs in the seventh to push the lead to 7-3. Anderson hit an RBI single to left field, and he scored on the next at-bat after a double by Adam Eaton and a fielding error by Polanco at second base.

Garcia and Madrigal each added an RBI single in the eighth to cap the scoring.

--Field Level Media

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