Crede's seventh-inning slam sinks Neshek, Twins

CHICAGO - Twins reliever Pat Neshek thought the ball was going foul. Chicago's Joe Crede knew his bat was broken.

Neither was thinking grand slam. But the ball kept sailing Thursday, and when it landed, a sellout crowd at U.S. Cellular Field was delirious.

Crede's grand slam broke a seventh-inning tie and gave the White Sox a 7-4 victory over the Twins in Chicago's home opener.

The Twins, who had led 3-2 entering the seventh before an announced crowd of 38,082, were left with their first blown save by the bullpen this season.

"They're going to have their good ones and have their bad ones, and [Neshek] doesn't have very many bad ones," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "When you need the big outs, he's the guy you go to out there."

Neshek didn't deserve all the blame. Once again, the Twins wasted chances offensively.

The Twins jumped to a 3-1 lead off Chicago starter Javier Vazquez with an RBI single by Joe Mauer and two run-scoring doubles by Mike Lamb over the first four innings.

They also left four early runners in scoring position.

"We've got to put people away," Gardenhire said. "We had chances to maybe add three or four more."

Twins starter Nick Blackburn needed 90 pitches to get through five innings, so Gardenhire turned to reliever Matt Guerrier to start the sixth with a 3-2 lead.

Guerrier pitched a scoreless sixth, but Jim Thome drew a one-out walk in the seventh, and Paul Konerko singled, putting runners at first and third for Neshek.

The first sign that this wasn't Neshek's day came next, when Jermaine Dye lunged for an 0-2 pitch, several inches off the plate, and pushed an RBI single to center field. Tie game.

"Some days it just doesn't go your way," Neshek said. "And when you can make him look funny like that, and he still gets a piece, you just shake your head."

Neshek struck out A.J. Pierzynski for the second out, but Carlos Quentin loaded the bases with a single to left, bringing up Crede, who was limited to 47 games last year because of back surgery.

With a 1-0 count, pitching coach Rick Anderson and catcher Joe Mauer went to the mound. Neshek came back with an inside fastball, and Crede sent it down the left-field line.

"I don't really like to go inside, but [Mauer] really wanted to go in there," Neshek said. "It was up a little. It had a little bit of a tail, where I was really surprised he got that up like that."

Said Crede: "I didn't even think it had enough, especially the way my bat shattered. I definitely didn't think it had a shot, but with these winds here, anything that's in the air has a shot."

Neshek shook his head as Crede rounded the bases.

"When he initially hit the ball, I thought Delmon [Young, the left fielder] was going to come over to foul territory and scoop it up, or if anything go into the crowd and be a foul ball," Neshek said. "But it stayed straight.

"You hate that stuff when it happens as a pitcher. But we've got another 150-some games left, so hopefully it doesn't happen too much more."