Twins 7, White Sox 6
Joe Mauer homered and drove in a pair of runs and Michael Cuddyer added three hits as the Minnesota Twins continued to pad their lead in the American League Central with a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Delmon Young doubled in the tying run in the sixth and Danny Valencia pushed across the go-ahead run for the Twins, who now own a five-game lead over the White Sox in the Central.
Mauer got Minnesota going in the first when he drove in the first run with a double and scored on Cuddyer’s single off Gavin Floyd (8-10).
The back-and-forth battle began in earnest in the second when Andruw Jones’ three-run homer gave the White Sox an edge, only to have Jason Kubel push across a tying run in the third. Chicago added two more in the fifth to take another lead, but Mauer cut the deficit in half with a solo shot in the fifth and Minnesota got to Floyd again in the sixth, pushing three runs across for the final margin.
Francisco Liriano (12-7) was charged with five runs but still managed to escape with the win thanks to four scoreless innings from the bullpen. Matt Capps, who blew a save in Tuesday’s series opener, allowed a run in the ninth but managed to secure his 31st save - fifth since joining the Twins.