Twins 7, White Sox 4

Showing a display of power missing in recent games, the Twins used home runs by Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer to smash the White Sox and draw ever closer to their rivals in the AL wild-card race.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: July 26, 2006 - 6:02 PM

CHICAGO - If someone had told the Twins that Monday's game against the Chicago White Sox would turn into a slugfest, they probably would have cringed.

As well as they've been playing lately, the long ball just hasn't been their strength.

So when Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer turned into Minnesota's version of the Bash Brothers, it made this 7-4 comeback victory at U.S. Cellular Field all the more sweet.

With their 10th victory in 11 games, the Twins sliced Chicago's wild-card lead to two games heading into tonight's pitching showdown between Johan Santana and Jose Contreras.

Even as they kept gaining ground on the White Sox, the Twins had gone four games without a home run entering Monday. Their last one had come Wednesday, when Rondell White hit two in a 7-2 victory over Tampa Bay.

The Twins came in ranked 13th of 14 teams in the American League with 86 home runs. The White Sox lead the majors with 149.

"That's not our team," Cuddyer said. "We're not guys that are going to go out and hit home runs all over the place, with the exception of maybe Morneau.

"But we're going to scrap. We're never going to give up. We're never going to quit. And it was evident tonight."

An announced sellout crowd of 39,750 watched the White Sox take a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning.

Paul Konerko and Juan Uribe hit home runs off Brad Radke (9-7), and it looked as if the Twins might go quietly against Javier Vazquez (9-6).

But Cuddyer hit a two-run homer off Vazquez in the sixth, and Morneau followed with his 26th homer of the season, giving the Twins back-to-back blasts for the third time this season.

Morneau's homer put the Twins ahead 3-2, but the tide appeared to turn the next inning, when Uribe threw out Jason Tyner at home plate on a chopper to shortstop by Nick Punto.

Replays showed Tyner's slide beating the tag from White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Manager Ron Gardenhire stormed from the dugout to argue with home plate umpire Laz Diaz but kept his cool.

"Honestly, I went out there and tried to keep my argument to a minimum," Gardenhire said. "I told him, 'I think you missed it, and so-so.' And [I] got back in because I thought we had momentum going."

In stepped Mauer, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and had been stuck on seven home runs since July 7.

With a 3-1 count, lefthander Neal Cotts grooved a fastball, and Mauer drilled it over the center-field wall.

It was Mauer's 23rd career homer, but his first off a lefthanded pitcher.

"When you don't hit that many, you can remember most of them," Mauer said.

Three-run homers have been a rarity for the Twins. Not since Torii Hunter's grand slam on June 28 had they hit anything more consequential than a two-run shot.

Mauer's blast softened the blow for when Kyle Lohse surrendered a two-run homer to Brian Anderson in the ninth.

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