CHICAGO – Nelson Cruz sounded as if reality was hitting him and his Twins teammates like a bucket of ice water. They had just been pounded by the White Sox once again.
"No doubt it was a big series," Cruz said. "It was tough. I guess they showed they are definitely a better team than us. They did a lot of things better. They pitched. They hit in the clutch."
It was complete domination against a Twins team that wanted to use the series as a springboard to get rolling and rise up the AL Central standings. Instead, Chicago won 8-5 on Thursday to take all three games and move 14 ½ games ahead of the Twins in the AL Central standings. The White Sox batted .356 in the series and are 8-1 against the Twins this season, outscoring them 76-37.
This series will be remembered as the latest stop on the Josh Donaldson Spin Rate Awareness Tour, as he attempted to prove a point about Chicago ace Lucas Giolito and his possible connection to illegal substances used to help him better grip the ball.
The real point that was made, though: The Twins just aren't ready for prime time.
Not with this pitching staff. Not with these lapses in offense. Not with poor defense and baserunning. Their pitching isn't good enough to cover up those issues, which makes going on an extended winning streak impossible.
Cruz didn't hide from that when asked what needs to change. Read this carefully, because hitters and pitchers usually stay in their own lanes.
"Well, just do the little things. Especially the pitching," Cruz said after Thursday's loss ruined his 41st birthday. "We have to do a better job in situations. We need to shut down the opposition from scoring and try to shut them down, and that's how you win ballgames. Pitching. That's where we need to improve."
