Royce Lewis hits grand slam, does it all as Twins end losing streak vs. White Sox

Royce Lewis always plays with emotion, so one day after he slammed his helmet repeatedly in the dugout, his smile said it all.

Mr. Grand Slam was back. And, four innings later, so was Mr. Save the Day.

Lewis, batting with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning Friday, lifted his sixth career grand slam past the left field wall in a 9-7 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. The Twins never trailed afterward, thanks in big part to his defense.

The Twins nearly blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning. Lefty reliever Génesis Cabrera recorded only one out, giving up a hit and two walks. Justin Topa surrendered a bases-loaded walk and two RBI singles to his first three batters before inducing a foul ball against Colson Montgomery.

Lewis chased down the foul ball, which carried him into shallow left field, and he tossed out Miguel Vargas at the plate, who had tagged up and attempted to score the tying run.

The Twins added a run in the ninth inning, an RBI single from Byron Buxton, and Topa pitched a clean ninth inning to end the Twins’ three-game losing streak.

BOXSCORE: Twins 9, White Sox 7

It was Lewis’ first grand slam since Sept. 15, 2023, also against the White Sox in Chicago, when he hit a stunning four grand slams in an 18-game stretch.

“Every time I come up with the bases loaded, I’m thinking homer,” Lewis told reporters in Chicago. “I can’t lie to you, I’m looking for that homer. It’s nice, it’s tasty and it’s fun.”

Maybe Friday’s grand slam, when he hit a first-pitch cutter from White Sox starter Aaron Civale, shouldn’t have been surprising. He’s batting .448 with five homers, 18 RBI, nine walks and a 1.579 OPS in eight career games versus his division rival.

His six career grand slams are tied for the seventh-most in Twins history, and four behind Harmon Killebrew’s team record.

After the White Sox tied the game in the fifth inning — Montgomery hit a two-out, two-run homer off Zebby Matthews — the Twins responded with two runs in the top of the sixth inning.

Luke Keaschall followed Larnach with an RBI single that he slapped through the right side of the infield. Keaschall has 15 RBI in 23 career games.

The Twins added two more runs in the seventh inning, aided by a throwing error on a double play ground ball, and an RBI single from Edouard Julien.

All the offense was needed. Matthews lasted only 4⅔ innings, and Twins pitchers combined to walk eight batters.

Lewis needed something positive in what has been mostly a lost season for him. He entered Friday with a .164 batting average, one homer, nine RBI and a .240 on-base percentage in his last 20 games.

Even if the Twins are shifting into some type of a rebuild, they’re counting on Lewis proving himself as one of the cornerstones of their roster.

When Buxton scored a run in the fifth inning, he became the third player in Twins history to reach 500 runs, 150 homers, 100 stolen bases and 400 RBI, joining Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter.

The Twins will continue their three-game road series against the White Sox at 6:10 p.m. Saturday. Righthander Mick Abel, one of the two players acquired from Philadelphia in the Jhoan Duran trade, is with the team in Chicago and expected to make his Twins debut.

Abel made six starts with the Phillies this year. Since joining the organization, Abel had a 1.76 ERA across three starts with the Class AAA St. Paul Saints. He struck out 23 and walked six in 15⅓ innings.