Four Twins homered on Thursday, and Scott Diamond won for just the second time since May 7 as Minnesota completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox with an 8-4 victory at Target Field.
Six home runs were hit by the two teams, and while Chicago's pair of long balls came from expected sources — Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn — the Twins' power was supplied by unlikelier sources. Leadoff hitter Brian Dozier homered for the second straight day, a two-run shot, while the Twins' 7-8-9 hitters — Oswaldo Arcia, Clete Thomas and Eduardo Escobar — also contributed home runs.
The Twins closed their nine-game homestand with a 6-3 record, best since June 27-July 6, 2011. They now head to Cleveland for a three-game series beginning Friday night.
Diamond, 5-6, allowed only one run on four hits through the first five innings, but Konerko and Dunn's back-to-back shots ended his day early. But he still picked up his fifth win of the season, allowing four runs, three earned, over 5 1/3 innings. Three Twins relievers held the White Sox scoreless over the final 3 2/3 innings.
The six combined home runs tied a Target Field record, reached three other times. One of them, coincidentally, was also started by Chicago left-hander John Danks, 1-4, who took the loss Thursday after allowing six runs on 12 hits in five innings.
Former Twin Jesse Crain pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the White Sox, setting a new Chicago record for consecutive appearances without allowing a run (28).
Phil Miller • @MillerStrib
