CHICAGO _ Twins manager Rocco Baldelli knew that Jonathan Schoop was spending more time on the bench recently, but maintained that Schoop would be needed eventually and will produce when in the lineup.
Schoop, the Opening Day second baseman, vowed to be ready when needed. And that time has come. With Byron Buxton still on the injured list, Max Kepler a late scratch Wednesday because of a sore right knee, Marwin Gonzalez with a sore abdominal muscle and Luis Arraez in a 3-for-17 skid, Schoop started his third consecutive game Wednesday _ and he has jumped right back into the production line.
Schoop's three-run homer in the second inning set the tone for the Twins. He homered again the eighth inning, and Mitch Garver added a two-run shot after that as the Twins beat the White Sox, 8-2, at Guaranteed Rate Field to protect their 3 {-game lead in the AL Central.
Schoop has hit five home runs over his past five games. The run started with a go-ahead, two-run homer off All-Star Mike Minor to lift the Twins to a victory at Texas.
Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi threw six strong innings before the Twins bullpen took over in the late innings.
Chicago scored first on an RBI double by Jose Abreu in the first inning. But the Twins answered in the second. Eddie Rosario reached on a pop-fly single to center as shortstop Tim Anderson raced back to make a play but missed the ball. Miguel Sano struck out, and C.J. Cron had a home run taken away from him when Leury Garcia jumped at the wall to snag his drive.
But Ehire Adrianza singled to left to keep the inning alive, and Schoop got hold of a 1-1 cut fastball and bashed into the seats in left for his 20th home run and a 3-1 Twins lead. Schoop became the seventh Twins to hit a least 20 homers this season, tying a major league record. With Jorge Polanco sitting at 19 homers, the Twins are on the verge of breaking another record in this season of big swats.
Schoop is getting a chance to play more and is running with it as if he has been the starter all year.
The 2017 All-Star with Baltimore has been the starter for most of the season, actually, but when Arraez got hot at the plate, Baldelli ran with the rookie. Arraez took at-bats like a veteran, and being a left-handed hitter helped Baldelli balance out the lineup. Consequently, Schoop started only four of the first 14 games in August.
But the Twins' depth has been tested of late by injuries, and Arraez has cooled off. So Schoop's power surge could not come at a better time.
The Twins added two more runs in the third to take a 5-1 lead. With the way Odorizzi has been pitching, it was more than enough for him. Aside from a couple of jams, Odorizzi was in control Wednesday.
In six innings, he held Chicago to two runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. He topped out at 94.5 miles per hour with his fastball, getting nine swinging strikes with that pitch alone. He also had the White Sox chasing his split fingered fastball and his slider for misses.
On July 24, Odorizzi gave up nine earned runs to the Yankees. In six starts since then, he has posted a 2.65 ERA as he has regained the form that led to him being an All-Star.
The injuries kept coming Wednesday, as third baseman Miguel Sano was hit on the right forearm by a Jimmy Cordero pitch in the fifth inning. He remained in the game at the time but eventually had to be replaced by Arraez as a pinch hitter in the seventh. The Twins announced that Sano has right forearm tightness and is day-to-day. He shares the same designation as Gonzalez and Kepler.
