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Slowey shuts out White Sox

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The Twins righthander's six-hitter got the team started well in the vital AL Central series.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: July 29, 2008 - 8:06 AM

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TWINS 7, CHICAGO 0

Up next: vs. Chicago • 7:10 tonight • Metrodome • TV: FSN (1500-AM)

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The White Sox rotation for this big four-game series was set up to attack the Twins' biggest weakness -- their ability to hit lefthanded pitchers. Three Chicago lefties are lined up to face the Twins this week -- and nemesis Mark Buehrle took the ball Monday at the Metrodome.

Buehrle knows how to neutralize righthanded hitters -- but that wasn't his problem Monday. Denard Span and Justin Morneau were.

The two lefthanded hitters pounded two awful third-inning pitches by Buehrle for two-run homers to spark the Twins in their 7-0 victory over the White Sox in the latest, biggest game of the season against the AL Central leaders.

Twins righthander Kevin Slowey, who had a 7.50 ERA over his three previous starts, neutralized Chicago hitters on both sides of the plate by attacking the strike zone all night. He rolled to his third complete game and second shutout of the season, giving up six hits and striking out five.

An announced crowd of 30,126 watched Span's first major-league homer and Morneau's 17th of the year help the Twins close to within 1 1/2 games of the White Sox in the Central race.

It was the teams' first meeting since the Twins were swept in four games in early June in Chicago by a combined score of 40-15 -- which they haven't forgotten.

"If we don't come out and play with the same intensity [tonight], it doesn't mean a whole lot," Morneau said. "We would be right back where we are started."

The Twins were only 15-15 against lefthanders coming into the game, and were ranked 27th in the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage against them. And Buehrle (8-9) entered Monday with a 21-11 record and 3.78 ERA in his career against the Twins.

It looked as if the Twins were in for a long night as Buehrle breezed through the first two innings. In the third, Nick Punto beat out an infield hit to bring Span to the plate.

Buehrle threw an 87-miles-per-hour fastball, with catcher A.J. Pierzynski set up on the outside corner of the plate. But the ball stayed up and over the plate, and Span crushed the pitch off the football press box in right field for a two-run homer and a 2-0 Twins lead.

It was a special moment for the rookie Span, who thought about former center fielders Torii Hunter and Kirby Puckett as he made his first start in center at the Dome.

"It felt so good to get a start out in center field and get my first homer," Span said. "Those both were things I wanted to accomplish when I was drafted six years ago."

After walking Alexi Casilla, Buehrle threw another 87-mph heater over the middle of the plate to Morneau, who drove it 420 feet to center to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.

"You feel pretty fortunate when you get hold of [Buehrle]," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, "because he is pretty good."

The Twins added a run in the fifth and two in the eighth to make it 7-0, which was more than enough for Slowey (7-7) to win his first game since July 5.

The Twins will face another lefty tonight in rookie Clayton Richard. A third lefty, John Danks, is scheduled to start for Chicago on Thursday. While their righthanded hitters need to step up, Span and Morneau are showing that the Twins' lefties aren't helpless against them.

"They've shown they can hit those guys, so it's a good thing," Gardenhire said. "We're going to see a bunch of them, it looks like."

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