MINNEAPOLIS _ So much for magic numbers.
With all the attention on the Twins' magic number for clinching the AL Central _ a digit that remained frozen at seven on Wednesday, by the way _ it was easy to forget about Jake Odorizzi's own personal magic number: 16.
As in, 16 outs. If the Twins' righthander records 16 outs, if he pitches 5 1/3 innings or more, he's been all but unbeatable this season. The Twins haven't lost a game that included 16 outs from Odorizzi since March, 18 consecutive wins ago.
Until Wednesday.
Odorizzi was removed with two outs in the sixth inning but the White Sox somehow overcame the veteran's 16-out alchemy. Using eight different pitchers, the White Sox limited Minnesota's record-setting home run offense to two singles and a double that Eddie Rosario ran into an out, and the Twins dropped the finale of a three-game series with Chicago, 3-1, at Target Field.
Minnesota, which had hit 39 home runs against the White Sox this season, failed to homer on Wednesday, missing an opportunity to tie the franchise record for most home runs against a single opponent in a single season. They collected 40 homers against the Washington Senators in 1963.
Odorizzi, whose previous start was washed out by rain in Cleveland, looked sharp as he took the mound against the White Sox, whom he had already beaten twice in three starts this season. He struck out nine, scattered seven hits, and allowed two runs, using a pair of double plays to escape any serious trouble.
But he was outpitched by a regiment of White Sox relievers, eight in all. When Odorizzi departed with two outs in the sixth inning, having just allowed a run-scoring double to Yoan Moncada, the Twins had not yet collected their first hit.
That changed quickly in the bottom of the inning, when Jorge Polanco's looping line drive to center fell for a single off Chicago lefthander Josh Osich, breaking up the no-hitter. Nelson Cruz followed with a walk off Jimmy Cordero and Eddie Rosario singled Polanco home.
But those were the Twins' lone hits until Rosario's next time up in the eighth inning. With two outs, Rosario hit a long fly ball to right off Evan Marshall. The ball struck the wall just above Leury Garcia's glove and bounced away, and Rosario rounded second and hustled to third base. Center fielder Adam Engel, backing up the play, collected the ricochet and fired it to third base, where Moncada applied the tag as Rosario slid by.
The loss, combined with Cleveland's 2-1 10-inning victory over Detroit, narrowed Minnesota's lead in the AL Central to four games with 10 remaining. It also concluded the season series with Chicago, a series dominated by the Twins, 13 wins to six.
The Twins' schedule, however, gets even lighter now, with the Kansas City Royals due in Thursday to begin the final home series of the season, a four-game weekend set. The Twins then travel to last-place Detroit and fourth-place Kansas City next week to conclude the season. The Indians, meanwhile, get one more game with the Tigers before finishing with the Phillies, White Sox and Nationals.
