CHICAGO � Nelson Cruz blasted a home run to right-center field in the fifth inning Thursday night that traveled an announced 430 feet. That's quite a poke, but it wasn't as far as his other ones.
Yes, other ones. Plural.
Cruz cannoned a 473-foot shot in the first inning and a 433-foot rainmaker in the third, marking the 11th time in Twins history with a three-homer game, the seventh since August 2016. All three home runs came off All-Star righthander Lucas Giolito as the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 10-3 to open a four-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Cruz's 385 home runs are the fourth most among active players. And he has hit the most home runs over the past five seasons. His recent power surge _ he has six home runs over his past four games _ giving him 25 for the season and putting him back on pace for his fourth 40-homer season in the past six years.
For all his home runs, the 39-year-old Cruz had never hit three home runs in a game before Thursday. He had two chances at the Twins' first four-homer game, but he struck out swinging vs. righthander Jimmy Cordero in the sixth inning, then popped up vs. lefthander Josh Osich in the ninth.
Max Kepler and Miguel Sano each added two-run home runs as the Twins hit five home runs for the ninth time this season _ setting a Major League Baseball record. They tied the 1977 Red Sox for that record with five solo home runs in Monday's victory over the Yankees. This time, their final four home runs were all two-run shots.
The only blemish on the night was in the field, where the Twins committed four errors, including three in the span of five minutes in the sixth. It led to some extra pitches for righthander Jose Berrios, but he dealt with it with aplomb as he held Chicago to three runs, two earned, over seven innings on six hits and one walk.
It's only the second time since June?28 the Twins have had one of their starters pitch at least seven innings. Given the recent struggles of the bullpen _ well, the staff as a whole _ the outing was much-needed. Just-recalled Sean Poppen pitched two scoreless innings to finish the game.
And Berrios (9-5) won for the first time since June 6 at Cleveland ... which also happened to be the game Max Kepler hit three home runs off Trevor Bauer.
The game also got the Twins' seven-game road trip off to the right start as they improved to 5-2 against Chicago on the season.
Cruz got the road trip going when he crushed a 2-2 pitch from Giolito that landed in the back rows of the left field grand stands. His second home run, with a man on in the third, cleared the center field wall by plenty and put the Twins ahead 3-1.
Kepler's two run blast came in the fifth. Jorge Polanco followed with walk to bring Cruz to the plate. And Cruz obliterated Giolito's 0-1 pitch to right-center, groans were audible throughout the park as the ball sailed over the right-center wall for his third home run of the game and 7-1 Twins lead. Some groans turned into boos as Cruz touched home plate.
Giolito had given up just 10 home runs in his previous 19 starts before Thursday. Three of those were hit by the Cubs on June 19. That's right, in one game, Cruz hit more home runs off Giolito than 18 other teams.
Sano's home run in the sixth inning gave the Twins a major league-leading 199 on the season, already the fifth most in club history.
Twins center fielder Byron Buxton returned to the lineup for the first time since July 13 going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. He missed time because of a concussion and dental surgery.
