CHICAGO – It was a moment that has occurred with young and precocious Twins players through the years. They would turn a routine play into a teaching moment, and pay the price.
But it wasn't the Twins this time.
The Twins tied the score in the third inning Saturday night because immensely talented White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada lazily went after a pop-up down the line and missed the catch. Byron Buxton, who already had shifted into fifth gear, scored. And Chicago manager Rick Renteria had a few words for Moncada after the inning was over.
That ended up being the worst thing that could have happened to the Twins. Moncada spent the rest of the night making up for his blunder, hitting a home run and smacking two doubles to ignite Chicago to a 5-1 victory at Guaranteed Rate Field.
So on a night on which the Twins swung a deal for veteran reliever Sergio Romo, their lead in the AL Central shrank to one game over Cleveland, which beat Kansas City 9-1 for its 12th victory in 14 games. The Twins have held sole possession of first place in the division since April 27.
Against the White Sox, the more talented and experienced Twins could not square up a pitch against Ivan Nova, then struggled with Chicago's bullpen after that. Nelson Cruz's 10-game hitting streak — and five-game home run streak — screeched to a halt. So did Eddie Rosario's eight-game hitting streak.
Nova and friends held the potent Twins to three hits and two walks. In 15 games since the All-Star break, it was only second time the Twins have not homered in a game.
"It was a little different from the other efforts we have had," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It was a little bit of a night where we just couldn't get anything going, and I think Nova threw the ball pretty well."
After the one-way conversation with Renteria, Moncada led off the third inning with a double, advanced to third on a single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Wellington Castillo as Chicago took a 2-1 lead.
Twins lefthander Martin Perez retired seven consecutive White Sox batters until Moncada batted in the fifth and crushed a 432-foot home run to center, putting Chicago 3-1.
Nova (6-9) broke out of a slump with a complete-game victory over Miami in his previous outing, and the veteran righthander carried that momentum into his start on Saturday. He featured a sinking fastball but mixed in cut fastballs and changeups as well to keep the Twins at bay. He induced Rosario to pop out with the bases loaded in the third inning following Moncada's error, then retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced and departed ahead 3-1 after throwing only 88 pitches in six innings.
"[Nova] pitches off his fastball but was able to use his breaking balls, both of them pretty well tonight," Baldelli said. "We didn't really have a response for what he was doing. He pitched deep into the game and did a good job, and I think it was just one of those nights — and I think every team has them — and you generally have a bunch of them over the course of the year."
Perez (8-4) gave up three runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts. The White Sox took it to the Twins bullpen too, scoring a run off Cody Stashak in the seventh and an unearned run off Trevor May in the eighth.
"I was just trying to do my best," Perez said. "We couldn't hit, but that's part of the game. They're trying to do the job too, so we can score some runs."
