White Sox 5, Twins 4
CHICAGO -- In his first start for Chicago, Avisail Garcia singled and scored a run as the White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Saturday to end a 12-game losing streak against the American League Central.
Garcia was acquired from Detroit as part of a three-team deal that sent Jake Peavy to Boston, and was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday in place of Alex Rios. After arriving too late to start the second game of Friday's doubleheader, Garcia was Chicago's center fielder on Saturday and went 1 for 4 and scored the game-tying run in the sixth.
Like Garcia, the White Sox see Andre Rienzo as a part of their future. Rienzo, who had been 0-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his first two starts, struggled in his home debut. He lasted 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs and seven hits while walking five.
David Purcey (1-1) relieved him in the sixth, and struck out Joe Mauer before getting Morneau to ground out to end the inning to keep Chicago's deficit at 4-3. Relievers Purcey, Nate Jones, Donnie Veal and Addison Reed combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings and six strikeouts, with Reed picking up his 28th save in 33 tries after Alejandro De Aza caught an Oswaldo Arcia fly ball by the wall to end the game.
The White Sox, who were swept in Friday's doubleheader, got a home run from Jordan Danks and Gordon Beckham walked four times with two runs scored. Conor Gillaspie had a go-ahead single in the sixth to help them avoid losing three straight after sweeping the New York Yankees and also propel them to their first win over a divisional opponent since July 25.
Minnesota's Mike Pelfrey, who was 0-3 in his last five starts, went five-plus innings and allowed five runs, four earned, and four hits with five walks. After allowing Garcia to single and walking Danks, Pelfrey (4-10) was replaced in the sixth by Anthony Swarzak, who allowed a Blake Tekotte sacrifice fly to tie the game at 4 and then Gillaspie's go-ahead single.
The Twins, who homered seven times Friday, got two more Saturday from Justin Morneau and Arcia to come back from an early deficit but couldn't win their seventh game in nine.
The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on Paul Konerko's one-out sacrifice fly to left with the bases loaded, driving in Beckham.
Danks doubled Chicago's lead with no outs in the second when he hit a 1-2 Pelfrey pitch into the right-field bleachers for his second of the season.
The White Sox then caught breaks on consecutive at-bats. Beckham grounded to Morneau but Pelfrey was late to cover first for the relay on what could have been an inning-ending double play. Then, Chris Colabello missed Gillaspie's two-out fly ball, allowing Beckham to score from first on the error.
Minnesota, however, scored four times in the third on two homers to take a 4-3 lead.
Morneau, who homered twice during Friday's doubleheader, tied the game with a three-run homer, his 14th of the season and fourth in five games. With one out, Brian Dozier was hit by a pitch and Mauer singled, before Morneau skied a 1-2 pitch over the Twins' bullpen in right to tie the game.
Following a Josh Willingham strikeout, Arcia lined a 2-0 Rienzo pitch into deep right-center for his 10th home run of the year and a 4-3 Twins lead. Arcia also homered in both games Friday, including in the 10th of the second game to give the Twins a 3-2 win, and has gone deep in four straight games against Chicago.
NOTES: One day after coming off the disabled list after missing 33 games, Willingham was in the Minnesota lineup as the designated hitter. "It's just easier this way," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Just let him do what he's doing." ... Beckham batted leadoff for the fifth time in his career and second in 2013. ... When Chris Colabello homered during the fourth inning of Friday's Game 1, Twins reliever Jared Burton threw a fake punch at teammate Brian Duensing with cameras watching as the ball flew over the bullpen. Gardenhire didn't seem to mind the gag. "The game of baseball, it's a game and you've got to have fun doing it," Gardenhire said. ... OF Dayan Viciedo was originally in the lineup as Chicago's No. 8 hitter and left fielder, but was scratched with a sore left thumb. Tekotte replaced him in left. ... Sunday's pitching matchup is RHP Kevin Correia (7-8, 4.84 ERA) against Chicago's Jose Quintana (6-3, 3.51 ERA).
