Twins 6, White Sox 1
MINNEAPOLIS -- Left fielder Shane Robinson and second baseman Brian Dozier each had two hits and Phil Hughes tossed eight strong innings as the Minnesota Twins took the rubber match of a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox, winning 6-1 at Target Field on Wednesday.
It was the second straight start in which Hughes (6-6) pitched eight innings and gave up one run, and it was his fourth consecutive quality start.
The lone damage allowed by Hughes was a solo home run by White Sox designated hitter Adam LaRoche, who led off the second inning with a blast over the right-field wall for his ninth homer.
Minnesota (39-33) spoiled White Sox left-hander Chris Sale's bid for history. Sale was attempting to become the first pitcher to strike out at least 12 batters in six consecutive games.
Early on, he appeared primed to sail into the history books.
Sale fanned one in the first and two in the second before striking out the side in the third inning. But the Twins got to Sale with three runs in the fourth, getting a leadoff double from Dozier and an RBI double from right fielder Torii Hunter.
A double by shortstop Eduardo Nunez gave the Twins the lead, and catcher Kurt Suzuki's sacrifice fly made it 3-1.
Sale failed to get a strikeout in the fourth inning, snapping his streak of 38 innings with at least one -- one short of former Twin Johan Santana's mark of 39 from 2002.
The Twins tacked on three more runs in the seventh, driving Sale from the game two strikeouts short of history. Sale (6-4) took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings.
Sale dropped to 1-3 with a 6.85 ERA in four starts against the Twins this season. He is 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA against everyone else.
LaRoche finished with three hits for Chicago (31-40), including the homer and a pair of doubles.
NOTES: White Sox LHP Chris Sale failed to become the first pitcher in history to strike out at least 12 players in six consecutive games. He struck out 10. ... Twins OF Aaron Hicks is set to depart for a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Rochester on Friday. Hicks has been out since June 14 with a sore right forearm/elbow. ... Chicago continues its trip with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, beginning Friday. ... Minnesota hits the road for an interleague series beginning Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.