The Minnesota Twins opened their weekend series against the Chicago White Sox with a 4-1 loss Friday night, highlighting some of the offensive problems that have troubled the team. Manager Derek Shelton noted after the game that Chicago has been particularly effective at punishing pitching mistakes, while the Twins once again struggled to solve White Sox starter Erick Fedde.
Minnesota collected only six singles through the first eight innings, with Kody Clemens accounting for three of them. The Twins finished the game with eight hits but went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Fedde entered Friday with a 1.36 career ERA against Minnesota in six starts. He then threw five scoreless innings, lowering his career ERA against the Twins to approximately 1.18 over seven starts.
Josh Bell finally broke through with a 460-foot solo home run in the ninth inning, but it was not enough to erase Chicago’s four-run lead.
The Twins responded Saturday with a 6-4 victory behind a three-run homer from Ryan Jeffers. Taj Bradley earned the win after allowing four runs over five innings, leaving the three-game series tied at one game apiece heading into Sunday’s finale.
(UPDATED)
IMAGE: Rate Field before a game A. McMurray, (A mcmurray) – Own work CC BY 2.5