Twins at White Sox
Avisail Garcia looks to build off a strong start offensively when his Chicago White Sox go for a second straight victory against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon. Garcia, who finished with a disappointing .245 batting average in 2016, came up a double shy of hitting for the cycle in Saturday’s 6-2 victory and is 8-for-16 with four RBIs in the season’s first four contests.
Catcher Geovany Soto has also been impressive early on for the White Sox (2-2) with three homers in three games while Melky Cabrera was held without a hit Saturday, but is 5-for-15 in the early going. The Twins, who finished with the worst record in the majors last season, suffered their first loss in five games to start the season in the second of a three-game set and will send ace Ervin Santana to the mound in the rubber match. Catcher Jason Castro has been impressive in his first week with Minnesota, boasting a .625 on-base percentage and five RBIs after hitting a two-run blast Saturday. The Twins hope to get Byron Buxton going as the promising center fielder has posted just two hits in 22 at-bats with 13 strikeouts in the first five games of the campaign.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), CSN Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Ervin Santana (1-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. White Sox LH Jose Quintana (0-1, 10.13)
Santana was outstanding in his season debut while earning his 134rd career victory with seven innings of one-run, two-hit pitching on just 91 pitches. The 34-year-old Dominican, who has made 30 starts in a season eight times, hopes to top the last two seasons when he managed just seven wins apiece - but he did post a 2.95 ERA on the road in 2016. Jose Abreu is 5-for-10 and Cabrera 12-for-35 with a homer versus Santana, who was 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA in four starts against the White Sox last year.
Quintana, who is coming off a career-high 13 wins, was disappointing in his season debut while allowing six runs on five hits (three homers) and three walks over 5 1/3 innings in a loss to Detroit. The 28-year-old from Colombia has made at least 32 starts the last four seasons and his 3.20 ERA in 2016 was also the best in his career. Brian Dozier boasts four homers and Joe Mauer is 12-or-37 with a blast against Quintana, who went 2-2 with a 3.98 ERA in five starts versus Minnesota last year.
WALK-OFFS
1. Minnesota 3B Miguel Sano was held hitless for the first time this season Saturday after registering six RBIs in the first four games.
2. Chicago 3B Todd Frazier, who hit 40 homers last year, recorded his first hit of the season Saturday (1-for-15) and scored two runs.
3. The Twins came into the weekend leading the majors with 25 walks and only drew a pair last time out.