Twins routed 12-3 in fourth consecutive loss to Chicago White Sox

The bat didn’t put a dent in Simeon Woods Richardson’s head, just a scratch on his neck, so things could have been worse for the Twins on Tuesday night. But the righthander’s continued health was just about the only positive they could take from their fourth consecutive loss to the last-place Chicago White Sox, 12-3 at Target Field.

Woods Richardson, staked to a 3-1 lead by his teammates, ducked under Will Robertson’s splintered bat as it zoomed past him on the mound during the fifth inning, then fielded the ground ball that bat produced, turned toward second base as Brooks Baldwin raced toward it, and threw the baseball into center field.

“Yeah, it could’ve been [worse],” Woods Richardson said. “But we also could have gotten the out at second, so we’ve got a lot of could’ve-beens.”

Especially since, two pitches later, White Sox third baseman Bryan Ramos smashed a double off the right-field wall, his first hit of the season, and the score was tied.

Not for long, though.

“We still have to find ways to get through these innings, even with some unusual things like that. We could get two outs on the play; instead, we get none,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Those are the kind of things that can snowball toward a game [like this]. That’s how that happens.”

Well, this is how, too: Journeyman reliever Thomas Hatch relieved Woods Richardson in the sixth and over the next two innings surrendered six singles and two home runs, good for six runs and, once Noah Davis allowed three runs, too, the Twins’ second loss by that exact 12-3 score in four days.

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It’s a shame those 300 dogs attending Bark in the Park Night had to watch it. But at least not many people did: The 11,721 in attendance represented the smallest gathering for a September game in Target Field’s 16-year history.

They witnessed the Twins’ fourth loss in a row to the last-place White Sox, who own an 8-25 record of failure, and 0-13 on the road, against the other three AL Central teams. But they are now 3-2 in Minnesota and winning the season series, 6-5 with two to play. It also dropped the Twins to 35-34 in Minneapolis and in danger of finishing with a losing record at home for just the second time in nine years.

“I’m going to stay optimistic most of the time, but that wasn’t good. That wasn’t real good,” Baldelli said. “I don’t think anyone felt good leaving the field today, walking off the field. Definitely frustrating, but we have to get over it.”

The Twins managed six hits against Chicago righthander Davis Martin and scored three times in his six-inning start. Byron Buxton led off the first inning with his fifth triple of the season and one pitch later scored on Trevor Larnach’s line-drive single to center field.

An inning later, fill-in catcher Mickey Gasper walked and stole second base (though it took a replay challenge to confirm that steal). Ryan Fitzgerald followed with a single to left, and Gasper scored.

The Twins’ final run came in the fourth inning, when Kody Clemens and Austin Martin stroked back-to-back singles, then moved up a base when Davis Martin balked. James Outman walked to load the bases, setting up a play somewhat representative of the Twins’ problems turning bases-loaded situations into big innings.

Gasper hit a fly ball to left field that allowed Clemens to tag up and score. But Martin, apparently believing Chicago left fielder Andrew Benintendi would throw to the plate, also tagged up and tried to advance. He was an easy out when Benintendi’s throw was to third base, and the inning ended with no further scoring.

Martin also dropped a throw from Fitzgerald that foiled another coulda-been double play, making Hatch’s task even more difficult.

“We don’t complete plays that we absolutely need to complete. Those are the fundamental baseball plays that you have to make consistently if you’re going to win in this league,” Baldelli said. “We didn’t make them tonight, and then the game got away from us at that point.”