White Sox complete three-game sweep by beating Twins 8-5

CHICAGO – The Twins arrived at Guaranteed Rate Field with such high hopes. Take a couple from the White Sox, use that as a takeoff point and build momentum.

The hosts had other ideas.

Chicago completed a three-game sweep of the Twins with a 8-5 victory Thursday during which they got off to a fast start against Twins righthander Jose Berrios, withstood a midgame rally then, as they did all week and all season, got their licks in against the bullpen.

It was Chicago's first sweep of the Twins at home since May of 2016. It could have been a four-game sweep, but the first game on Monday was rained out and rescheduled to be played in July.

Chicago leads the season series 8-1 while outscoring the Twins 76-37. The White Sox batted .356 against a beleaguered Twins pitching staff.

The Twins fell to 14½ games behind the AL Central-leading Sox.

Thursday offered the Twins their best chance to win with Berrios on the mound. But he had to get out of a two on, one out mess in the first then gave up a leadoff home run to Brian Goodwin in the second. Something was off, and the numbers showed it.

And — you can draw your own conclusions here — his spin rates were below his season average.

But the Twins were in a 4-4 game. Chicago scored twice in the second to take a 3-0 lead before the Twins scored four off Carlos Rodon in the fifth. The White Sox tied the game in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly.

Berrios was off, but he was battling. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli decided to go to his bullpen in the sixth inning and, like so many times this season, the results were immediately awful.

Ninth place hitter Zack Collins greeted Jorge Alcala with a home run off a 97.4 miles per hour fastball to give the Sox a 5-4 lead. Billy Hamilton doubled, stole third — because Josh Donaldson missed the tag — then scored on Jose Abreu's sacrifice fly for a 6-4 lead. It was the third sacrifice fly of the game for Chicago.

Chicago added two more runs in the seventh and cruised to the win.