As long as Ross Detwiler is starting, he's going to need better defense than what he received tonight.
The box score says Detwiler gave up five runs over four innings, and all of them were earned. A stricter official scorer probably would have taken at least three off his tab, and four if one could assume the double play.
Tim Anderson was at the center of both key miscues. He failed to flag down a pop-up in shallow center that he called for but didn't commit to as Leury García came in to start the second, and while García robbed C.J. Cron of a homer for the second out, Detwiler needed it to be the third. He gave up a single to Ehire Adrianza before a two-run blast to Jonathan Schoop that gave Minnesota the lead.
An inning later, Detwiler dug himself into his own hole by loading the bases on a hit by pitch, double and an intentional walk, but he got a couple grounders that seemed to minimize the damage. A bouncer to second could only be converted into a run-scoring fielder's choice at second, but Miguel Sanó followed by hitting a hard grounder at Anderson -- after he stepped back into the box when his attempt to call time failed. Anderson was less ready for the ball than Sanó and was knocked over by the one-hopper. Instead of a 6-4-3 double play, one more run scored to make it a 5-1 game.
The Twins didn't need more than their second-inning effort to win this game, although they tacked on three more with a pair of homers off Jace Fry in the eighth, including a second from Schoop.
The White Sox offense made a strong initial effort. García doubled on Jake Odorizzi's first pitch of the game and scored two batters later on Jose Abreu's 30th double of the year, giving the Sox a 1-0 lead. Yoan Moncada and Anderson both struck out, and that was more in line with the rest of the night. Odorizzi struck out eight over six innings en route to his 14th win.
Unlike Detwiler, he minimized the damage after jams. The Sox had their best chance to get back in the game when they loaded the bases with one out in the third on two singles and a walk. Matt Skole worked a full count, but he could only bounce into a 4-6 fielder's choice to make it a 5-2 game, and Welington Castillo struck out.
Bullet points:
*Yoan Moncada had a great night in the field, saving a couple runs with a couple of nifty picks to his right, and also covering the ground in front of him. He didn't have as much fun at the plate, striking out thrice, including a pair of backwards K's.
*One of Moncada's stops covered for Eloy Jiménez, who made an ill-advised throw to third after Anderson's error, allowing Sanó to reach second.
*García allowed Jake Cave to stretch a single into a double when he was caught sleeping retrieving a grounder into the right-center gap. The line score only shows one error, but Moncada was the only thing the defense had going.
*Ryan Goins started in right field for the first time in his career, if you needed further evidence of the White Sox' roster issues against righties.
Record: 60-72 | Box score | Highlights
