Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago White Sox tied the game with a
two-run ninth inning and pulled out a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins thanks
to a wild pitch in the 11th inning on Wednesday.
Leury Garcia led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a bunt single before
advancing to second on a balk by Samuel Deduno. Garcia moved to third on a
wild pitch in the dirt, and Deduno sailed a 3-2 pitch to Adam Dunn outside and
past catcher Kurt Suzuki, and Garcia scored without a play at the plate.
Alexei Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and Garcia was 2-for-4 with
an RBI single in the ninth inning. Adam Eaton drove in two despite not
recording a hit and Dunn hit a solo home run.
Paul Konerko started the bottom of the ninth with a pinch-hit single in his
first at-bat of the season. Pinch-runner Adrian Nieto went to second on Dayan
Viciedo's singled and scored on Garcia's hit. After a wild pitch from Glen
Perkins, Eaton reached base on a fielder's choice, which brought Viciedo
across to send the game to extras.
"You want to be a good team, day in and day out. The struggle with the small
things, you really have to pay attention to those things. It's not fun, you
have to have discipline, you have to show up everyday focused and that's what
it takes to be a big leaguer and that's what it takes to be a good team,"
said Konerko.
Perkins' blown save robbed Twins starter Kevin Correia of a win. Correia was
touched for three runs -- two earned -- over six innings, allowing five hits
and picking up five strikeouts. Perkins gave up two runs in the ninth and
Deduno (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
"A lot of things happened in that game, throughout the game. Some missed
opportunities by us, some fundamental things we didn't get done. Ultimately
you have the lead and you get the ball to your closer, you feel pretty good
about it. It just didn't work out, couldn't finish the game off," said Twins
manager Ron Gardenhire.
Trevor Plouffe drove in three runs, going 3-for-5, and Jason Kubel went 2-
for-6 with two doubles and an RBI. Suzuki added three hits in six at-bats with
a double and an RBI.
In his first major-league start since June 6, 2012, Felipe Paulino allowed
two runs -- one earned -- on seven hits while fanning six through 5 1/3
innings. Ronald Belisario (1-0) retired all four hitters he faced to pick up
the win.
Plouffe worked a one-out walk in the top of the ninth before reaching second
on a fielder's choice. Suzuki ripped a line drive the opposite way to bring
Plouffe around to score, giving Minnesota a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom
of the frame.
Dunn's two-out solo home run in the eighth was No. 441 for his career, which
moved him one behind Dave Kingman for 38th on the all-time list. The blast
brought the White Sox within 5-4.
Earlier, Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham recorded consecutive walks to lead off
the seventh, which Kubel followed up with a ground-rule double to score Mauer.
Plouffe then drove in Willingham and Kubel with a single to right, giving the
Twins a 5-3 lead.
The teams were scoreless from the fourth through the sixth inning, combining
for just three hits, while stranding four men on base.
The Twins' Oswaldo Arcia scored the first run of the game in the top of the
second after Paulino issued back-to-back walks following a Suzuki single.
The Solid White Sox fired back in the bottom half of the second with three runs.
Avisail Garcia and Alejandro De Aza hit back-to-back singles before Ramirez
doubled down the left field line to bring them around to score. Tyler
Flowers then ripped a single, sending Ramirez to third, one batter before
Eaton hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring Ramirez home.
In the top of the third Plouffe picked up an RBI single following a one-out
double down the right field line from Kubel.
Game Notes
Robin Ventura picked up win No. 150 as the manager of the Sox ... The White
Sox have won seven of eight against Minnesota ... Chicago, which won the
opener of the three-game series on Monday, is 2-0 for the third time in the
last four seasons ... Jared Burton made his 300th career appearance, allowing
Dunn's home run in his one inning of work ... The Twins were 5-for-16 with
runners in scoring position, compared to the Sox going 3-for-12 with RISP.