Twins limp out of Chicago after four games of futility

Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press

Chicago White Sox's Jim Thome, left, slides safely past the tag of Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer during the second inning of their baseball game Chicago, Monday.

The White Sox outhit, outpitched and outplayed the Twins, who entered the series in contention and left 6 1/2 games behind.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: June 10, 2008 - 8:56 AM

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CHICAGO 7, TWINS 5

Up next: Three-game series at Cleveland • Game 1, 6:05 tonight • TV: FSN (1500-AM)

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CHICAGO - It was only four days earlier when the Twins had a chance to prove they are relevant in the AL Central during a key series against the rival White Sox.

Cold water has been splashed in their faces.

They left for Cleveland on Monday night following a 7-5 loss, saddled with a season-high five-game losing streak and in the middle of the worst run of starting pitching during manager Ron Gardenhire's tenure.

"Glad to see the last of this series," Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer said.

White Sox hitters tore apart Twins pitchers while sweeping the four-game series by a combined score of 40-15, belting 11 homers in the series, including three Monday. The Twins were swept in a four-game series in Chicago for the first time since July 1977.

Lefthander Glen Perkins' 5 1/3 innings on Monday was the longest outing by a Twins starter in the series, and the club watched its largely inexperienced staff fail to make tough pitches against an experienced White Sox lineup.

No Twins starter has pitched at least six innings for six consecutive games. It's the first time since Sept. 12-17, 1998 -- during the Tom Kelly era -- that the Twins have had such a run of poor outings. The bullpen has been worn down, and worn out, because of it.

"We were complaining about having 13 pitchers right now," Gardenhire said, "but we've needed every single one of them."

Perkins gave up three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Righthander Jesse Crain entered the game in the sixth, with the bullpen asked to hold a 5-2 lead and not mop up for a change.

After striking out Jermaine Dye, Crain laid a 0-1 fastball down the middle of the plate to Nick Swisher, who belted it into the right-field seats for a two-run homer to cut the Twins' lead to 5-4. Swisher homered from both sides of the plate Monday for the seventh time in his career.

Righthander Matt Guerrier took over for Crain to start the bottom of the seventh, but the White Sox tied the score 5-5 on an RBI groundout by Carlos Quentin, then took the lead on a two-run homer by Paul Konerko. The Twins had runners at the corners and no outs in the ninth, but Joe Mauer hit into a double play and Justin Morneau grounded out to end the game.

Then it was on to Cleveland for a three-game series with a tattered pitching staff that has given up a AL-high 76 homers. After four eye-opening games in Chicago, the Twins hope their young starters don't stay in a funk as they try to salvage the rest of their 10-game road trip.

"It's one of those things where you hope they come out the next time and get on a good run," Guerrier said. "Have a quick first inning and get that confidence back. We're kind of all the same way. You have a short memory, but you do remember that stuff."

After watching his team fall 6 1/2 games back of the White Sox, Gardenhire just wanted a change of venue.

"I like the town," he said. "It wasn't very much fun at the ballpark."

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